Mt Nakari Experience
by T2 Angel
Summary: Ash & Pikachu head to Mt. Nakari to relax from their journey. While there, they run into friends, old and not so old. However, a natural disaster is about to put them all in danger and change the lives of all involved forever. ...But for better or worse?
1. Arrival

So, I'm so glad that I've finally got this story to the point where I can post it. I really want you guys to enjoy this. If you don't, by all means be honest, but I hope you do. Anyway, on to the story!

DISCLAIMER: I own none of the rights to characters or names. This is a story for pure entertainment and out of respect for a great show from my childhood. No profits are gained by me.

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: Arrival<strong>

All Pokémon Master hopefuls know that their journey can be stressful, at the least. For some, though, the journey can be far more stressful at several times for several reasons. And sometimes, they can be downright boring. And the latter is certainly the case for one black haired Pokémon trainer from Pallet Town and yellow electric Pokémon companion.

Ash Ketchum was sitting in the lobby of a Pokémon Center in Blackthorn City, reading a travel book about where to go next. Pikachu was sitting at his side, looking around at all of the people. After a while, Ash put the book by his side and tilted his head back.

He groaned, "This is soooooo boring."

Pikachu sat back in the chair, "Pika pika."

"I miss Brock. He was good at this kind of stuff."

"Pikachu."

Ash had been traveling with just Pikachu and his Pokémon for a year now. With ten years of traveling under his belt and now 20-years-old, he wanted to figure how he did on his own. Just on his own. And, while he did have great success and some failures, it was very dull at times, especially without people to share the experiences with. He would constantly keep his mother, Brock, and Misty informed of what he was up to, including the occasional letter or phone call to May, Dawn, and others but it just was not the same with just him and Pikachu traveling. Both trainer and Pokémon missed the friends nearby if, for no other reason, than to make the boring times seem a little easier to bear.

Brock and Misty were especially were the best people for him to travel with. All the times that they had together, the adventures, the battles, even the good-byes in Ash's mind, were great times. Plus, they were Ash's first friends. And best. Simply put, Ash missed them.

All of this thinking was starting to depress Ash. He looked down at Pikachu. "Let's go."

"Pika pi." Pikachu hopped up on Ash's shoulder and they got up to leave.

They were just about out of the door when Ash looked up and saw a poster on the bulletin board. It had the picture of a mountain, people wearing winter clothing and smiling. The poster's tagline read: "Stressed? Wanna get away? Come to Mt. Nakari! Forget your troubles!" The poster gave details of where the mountain was located. It was in the northern Sinnoh region.

"Hmm." Ask looked at Pikachu. "Could be fun. Whadda say, pal?"

"Pikachu!" he said, excitedly.

"Alright. Let's go."

A couple of days later, Ash and Pikachu were on a crowded train, headed to Mt. Nakari. With not even any sitting room on the train, Ash was standing amongst all the people in the crowded train car with Pikachu on his shoulder but there was barely enough room to do that.

After being shoved around a few times, Ash sighed. "I'm starting to think that this wasn't worth it."

"Pika…" Pikachu sighed in agreement.

Minutes later, the train pulled into the station and Nakari Town, the small town at the base of Mt. Nakari. But Ash and Pikachu's eyes were immediately drawn to the large majestic peak that the town was named after.

Mt. Nakari was vast, standing as one of the highest mountains in the region and having a forty mile wide base. The light, at any angle, was catching the majesty of it perfectly, making the white snow clear as day and giving the mountain a purplish hue. Even without the colors, it easily left anyone in pure of its massive size alone. Ash and Pikachu had spent their time on mountains but there something different about Nakari, something neither of them could grasp hold of. It had them so enthralled that Ash literally had to force himself back to his surroundings.

Ash looked around as the other passengers disembarked from the train and, seemingly, knew exactly where to go, taking a road that went to the left of the station and around the bend of the mountain. Not having the same insight as the rest of them, the trainer from Pallet walked into the small town directly before him, to the nearest Pokémon Center. Once arriving there, Ash and Pikachu saw how there was absolutely no one in the front lobby of the center.

Pikachu turned his head to side, curious. "Pika?"

"Ooooookaayyyy." Ash then rubbed his head, "Where is everybody?"

As they stood there, they were soon greeted by the resident Nurse Joy, emerging from a back room on the other side of the desk. "Oh. Hello there and welcome to Nakari Town." She bowed.

Ash nodded, "Thanks. I read about some resort near here. How do I find that?"

She rose up. "Oh, you must mean the Nakari Resort."

"Yeah, that's it. How do I find it?"

She looked at him confused. "You… don't know where it is."

'_Why is she looking at me like I'm from another planet?_' he thought. "No, sorry to say I don't."

"Oh, you must not have made a reservation, then."

"Reservation?"

"Yes, it's a must. Hardly anyone stays here in the Center anymore since this is more of a resort town now. The place is usually only available by reserva…tion…" Nurse Joy's voice slowed when she realized what she was saying, though she couldn't stop it from coming out.

The damage had been done anyway. Ash just sighed, "Great. Came all this way…"

"Pika pi…" Pikachu echoed the frustration.

Seeing the defeat in their eyes and hearing it in their voices, Nurse Joy took pity on them. "Well… they may have a couple of rooms open. It… could happen."

Ash sighed again, "Yeah… sure."

Nurse Joy shrugged, "Follow the road that leads northwest." The same road Ash saw everyone else taking. "It will lead you straight there."

Another sigh escaped as the young trainer shrugged. "Alright."

"But, hey, if things don't work out there, you're more than welcome to come back here."

Ash nodded and put on the best smile he could. "Cool. And thank you."

"Pikachu."

She smiled back. "You're welcome."

Ash and Pikachu then left the Center, following the road to the resort. After walking for about twenty minutes, Ash and Pikachu saw the large mansion-looking Mt. Nakari Resort. It wasn't an overly colorful place but it was big enough to make one stop and stare, echoing the feeling that one got from the mountain. It was four stories tall but it was the width that was the real impressive size. If Ash didn't know any better, he'd say that it was half the size of Pallet. And he was closer to right than he thought. There were numerous windows, evenly spaced out between each story. The front entrance had large stone arch that stretched up two stories and there was glass in the arch that showed the inside of the lobby.

"Whoa…" Ash breathed.

"Pika…"

Ash looked at Pikachu. "Looks like a nice place, huh, pal?"

"Pika!"

After getting inside the resort, Ash and Pikachu looked around and found it to be quite the classy place. With huge crystal chandeliers hanging above, brightly tiled floors, and beautiful furnishings all around, it was easily a five-star hotel.

And definitely out of Ash's price range. "Um… Pikachu?"

"Pika?"

Ash put his hands in his pockets, "I'm positive we won't be able to afford this."

Pikachu just stared at his master then hung his head, "Pika…"

"Yeah… I know…" They stood there looking at all of the people. Seeing how crowded it was led Ash to say, "It's just as well. Doesn't look like there's any room, anyway."

"Pikachu."

"Oh, well. Let's just head back to the Pokémon Center. We can figure out what to do from there. Maybe we can go to…"

"Is that Ash?" a very familiar voice rang out.

Ash instantly recognized the voice. "Oh, no…" Ash breathed, "Gary…"

He turned around and, sure enough, there was Gary Oak, his first rival and person he'd known longest in this world, aside from his mother. A fact that Ash hated to admit.

Gary hadn't changed all that much; he still, more or less, looked the same from Ash's point of view, if only a little older. He still wanted to be a researcher like his grandfather but competed in league battles every other year or so. Per usual, Gary was surrounded by a pack of girls, none of which he was interested in, Ash knew this for a fact; they were just groupies. Not so standard was that he was also being followed by an entourage of his body guards, or "henchmen" as Ash thought of them, and paparazzi. The new additions to Gary's group were because he was coming off an impressive victory a few months ago against another of Ash's rivals, Paul. Ash was in another region from where the tournament took place and only watched when heard that Gary and Paul were going to battle one another. Ash saw the whole battle on television and even he had to admit that it was a classic.

Still, none of that made Ash any happier to see Gary, nor did his private thoughts keep the young mister Oak from walking over and throwing his arm around the raven haired trainer.

"Ash!" Gary exclaimed. "I knew that was you! How long has it been?"

Ash sighed. "Five years, Gary."

"Five years too long, buddy!" He then waved at his paparazzi, "Come get a shot of us, guys. The original Pallet boys, together again."

Dozens of flash bulbs went off at a time. So much so that Pikachu became dizzy very quickly. Ash could barely see through all of the light but managed to see that Pikachu was a little dazed.

Upon seeing Pikachu's woozy state and being pretty tired of it himself, Ash started to steady Pikachu. "O-okay, enough with the photos."

Smiling, Gary waved them off, "Take five, guys."

The cameras stopped flashing and Pikachu soon shook off the effects.

"You okay, pal?" Ash asked.

"Pika pika," Pikachu replied, moving his hand in the 'so-so' motion.

Gary chuckled, "Forgot that you're not one for the fast life."

Ash just chuckled, "Guess not."

"How ya been?"

Ash shrugged. "Eh, making it."

"Heard about Hoenn. Sorry, man."

He shrugged again. "What are gonna do? It happens. A loss is a loss. Nothing to do but learn and keep going."

"Ain't that the truth. You get my letter?"

Ash became even more discouraged, though he tried to hide it. "Yeah… I got it."

"So, you gonna be able to make to Pallet for the…"

"I'll see. I'll see." Ash kicked himself: forced that answer out too quick.

Regardless, Gary did not seem to notice. "Alright, man. So, what's your room number?"

"Oh, uh… I… uh… don't… have one…"

Gary was surprised. "Oh."

"Yeah… Didn't know you had to reserve one."

This moment was incredibly awkward for them both. The silence didn't help. Ash hated that he just admitted to Gary he didn't have a room while Gary felt awkward for asking in the first place.

Nevertheless, Gary was determined to right his wrong. He patted his friend on the shoulder, "Hey, don't worry about it, man. I can get you a room."

Ash was surprised. "Thanks, but no thanks, Gary. I'm good."

"You sure, man? It's no problem."

Ash was now pleasantly surprised. Gary was genuinely being nice to him. So, he smiled. "Thanks, Gary, I mean it. Really, I do. It's enough that you would even offer. But… I'm good. Thanks."

Gary was a little surprised but only for a second. If there was one thing he knew for sure about Ash it was that the guy never took handouts. Not so much out of pride but because he knew like to do things his way. That was thing that they always had in common. And it was probably what made them such good rivals. He just patted his friend on the back. "Alright, Ash. See you around?"

Ash shrugged, "We'll see." He then made his way past all of the people and out of the door, all the while Gary watching him leave.

After Ash was out of the door, Gary folded his arms, smiling, "Hmph. Same old Ash."

Ash and Pikachu made it outside, just in time to see that dusk was falling on the region. From where they stood in front of the Resort, Ash could see the twilight of the sky and just the remnants of the glare from the sun over Mt. Nakari. Both master and Pokémon stood in awe of the image. It was even more beautiful than earlier and neither of them could believe that was even possible.

Ash could hear people talking around him but really could not make out much, especially with the sight he was viewing. He was ignoring the voices and enjoying the peace of the scene.

Soon, however, both Ash and Pikachu could hear that one conversation nearby was possibly directed at them.

"Are you sure?" said voice one.

"Yes, I'm sure," said voice two. "It's him."

"He looks different," said voice one.

"That's because the last time we saw him was on TV," voice two retorted.

Ash sighed, figuring that it was someone who saw him from the last league battle he was in, wanting to ask him what it felt like to make it all the way to the finals and still lose. It wouldn't be the first time he heard it, though he was praying it would be the last. He tried out for the Hoenn League again, got to the finals, and lost to a trainer named Roderick. Gary alluded to it earlier but, thankfully, didn't go into detail or ask questions about it. Regardless of the outcome, it was a hard fought bout that distance and Ash felt no shame in the loss. He respected his opponent before and even more so after the match. Ash even loved the match itself. He was just getting tired of people bringing up the loss. He very seldom was praised for the performance or asked to comment on the battle itself but, instead, was constantly asked that same irritating question of how it felt to lose. He was so sick of answering that question that he had no idea what to do if he was asked that question again, though his initial thought was to scream.

"Excuse me?" voice two asked, coming up to him. The voice was clearly female.

With his back to the woman, Ash silently groaned and rolled his eyes, knowing what question was coming next.

"Are you Ash Ketchum of Pallet?"

Ash sighed, "Yeah, that's me." '_Here it comes…_'

He heard the woman giggle. "Well, don't you owe me a bike from like ten years ago?"

Ash groaned, "Oh, come on, Misty, I got you a new one and every…" His eyes grew wide. "Wait a minute…" He had no idea that he recognized the voice that was talking to him. It was a subliminal reaction. The scenery had him and Pikachu in such rapture that he didn't even realize that he knew who was standing behind him by voice alone.

Ash turned around and sure enough, there was the red-headed Cerulean City gym leader, Misty Waterflower.

Ash chuckled, "M-Misty."

She put on of her brilliant smiles. "Hey, Ash."

"PIKA!" Pikachu shouted excitedly, quickly hopping off of Ash's shoulder and into her arms.

Misty, of course, was only too eager to hug him. "Awww, Pikachu. Did you miss me?"

"Chu…" Pikachu cooed, agreeing.

Ash just scoffed, "Wow. Thanks for that, buddy."

"Jealous?"

He smirked. "Only a little."

Misty rolled her eyes, "Fine. Come here, you big baby."

Misty then pulled Ash in and hugged him, while still holding Pikachu. The hug, for both Ash and Pikachu, felt awesome.

As they hugged, Ash looked and saw that his other best friend and the big brother he wished he could've had, Brock Slate, was standing just feet away.

"Brock?" Ash asked, in disbelief.

"What's up, Ash?" Brock greeted.

Misty released her hold on Ash as Brock walked up, throwing his arm around Ash's neck and resting it on his shoulder. It made Ash feel like old times, if only for a brief second. It made him happy to see them both again.

"What's been going on, man?" Brock asked.

Ash chuckled, "Not much. Just, ya know, battling and traveling. More of the last part lately."

"How's that been going?" Misty asked.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu chimed in, giving the indication of horrible.

All three looked at him and had a quick laugh.

"To clarify," Ash said, "he means it's been a little boring."

"Oh," Brock said, "sorry to hear that, man."

Ash just waved it off, "Don't worry about it."

Both of his former travel companions looked at Ash and could tell that he was hiding being so bored with things as they were. They knew him well enough to know that.

"So, are you staying here at the Resort?" Misty asked.

Knowing that they would catch him in a lie or that Pikachu would tell, Ash decided to just confess. So, he sighed. "No… didn't reserve a room. Just came this way on impulse." He shrugged, "Guess I still lack planning skills, huh?"

The twosome felt bad for Ash. He was not whimpering for sympathy or putting on act; he was just being truthful.

Misty then made a decision. She took Ash by the hand. "Come on."

As she pulled him, Ash asked, "What? Where are we going?"

"Just come on."

All of them went inside the Resort and walked up to the front desk.

"Excuse me," Misty said.

The attendant at the desk looked up. "Yes, how may I help you?"

"We have reservations under the name Misty Waterflower and Brock Slate for the double suite."

'_Double suite?_' Ash thought. '_Wow… they must've struck it rich or something._'

The receptionist typed a little bit. "Why, yes. I have your keys right here."

"Umm… may we have one more key?"

'_One more key?_' Ash thought.

Brock smiled. '_Nice one, Misty._'

The receptionist smiled. "Absolutely. But, you must be aware that your suite only comes with two beds."

Misty just giggled. "That's alright."

"Umm… Misty?" Ash asked.

"Yeah?"

"You don't have to do this. Me and Pikachu will just go back to the Center and…"

"No way. You're staying with us."

"But…"

"She's right, man," Brock chimed in. "I was about to do the same but she beat me to it."

"So, you're staying with us," Misty repeated. "And we aren't going to take 'no' for an answer."

Ash looked at Brock who, while already smiling, folded his arms and nodded his head. Ash then looked at Pikachu on Misty's shoulder who gave his master a thumbs-up.

Ash chuckled, "Okay. I give."

"Good." Misty looked back at the receptionist. "Sorry about that. It's all settled."

"Alright then." The receptionist handed the three card keys to the trio for their room. "Suite 507."

"Thank you!" Misty smiled.

"You're most welcome," the receptionist said, bowing in respect.

Misty looked at the boys. "Shall we?"

"We shall," Brock answered.

"Pi Pikachu!" Pikachu agreed.

Ash just chuckled. "Guess so."

"Good," Misty said. "Let's go."

She then led the way to the elevators and, as the two boys followed behind her, Ash leaned toward Brock. "When did she become the leader?"

Brock chuckled, "When was she not?"

Ash chuckled, as well. "Good point."

They went to their room and Brock opened the door. It was completely furnished and amazingly lavish. It looked like an apartment. The room they entered into was the living room with a large couch on the right hand side and a big screen television against the far wall along with a painting on the left wall. There were also doors on the left and right walls that led to the bedrooms.

How much money it would take to afford a room like this was beyond Ash. It was definitely more than he had. So he wondered where Misty and Brock came up with the funds. "Um, no offense, guys, but how can you all afford this?"

"We saved like crazy," Misty said, giggling afterward.

"For like a year and a half," Brock added.

"Wow." Even with two years, Ash doubted he could afford a room like this. But, seeing how it was a double, it made more sense to Ash how they could swing the cost.

"Alright, come on, Ash. You can share my bed."

Ash just shook his head, "No way, man. It's your money, your room, your bed."

Misty shrugged. "Well…" She walked up to Ash, "…you wanna share my bed?"

Misty was very close to Ash by the end of her sentence, causing him to gulp as he actually considered the offer. It was hard for Ash, Brock, or even Pikachu to determine whether or not Misty was kidding.

'_What am I thinking?_' Ash thought to himself. He then shook his head, "No… no… no, I'll just take the couch."

Misty just shrugged, "Suit yourself." She grabbed Pikachu. "But he's coming with me." She looked at Pikachu. "If that's fine with you."

"Chu…" Pikachu approved.

"And you." Misty looked at Ash.

"Umm… fine with me," Ash confirmed.

"'Kay! Night, boys." She then took her suitcase and Pikachu into her room.

After she went inside, Ash looked at Brock. "What just happened?"

Brock just laughed, "Well, bro, if you have to ask…" He headed into his room.

Alone, Ash scratched his head, "What was that all about?"

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><p>So, there's chapter 1! Please, review! Chapter should be up later this week. Enjoy!<p> 


	2. Avalanche

Sorry this took so long. But here is Chapter of the Mt. Nakari experience.

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: Avalanche<strong>

Misty awoke in the morning in the large hotel room bed, turning over and looking out of the window. She loved the way the sun was coming up and just laid staring at for almost a half hour. After doing so, she got up, putting on a robe and went into the restroom, brushing her teeth followed by putting on make-up and the like.

As she was doing so, Misty heard Ash shout, "WHOA!" with a following thud.

Not knowing what was going, Misty hurried out of the bathroom and back into the living area, to find Ash rubbing the back of his head with blanket sprawled all over as the result of his fall.

Ash groaned, "Ow…"

Misty breathed a sigh of relief. "Are you okay?"

Ash looked up at her, not even realizing that Misty was standing there until she spoke, and blushed. "Umm… embarrassed. Very… very embarrassed… but… I'm fine."

Misty giggled, "Why would you be embarrassed?"

Ash stood up, "Oh, I don't know. Maybe because I fell out of the bed… I mean, sofa like I was a kid and you happen to be the first one to see it. And, oh yeah, you're laughing at me."

Misty tried to hold back a few giggles but then squeaked out, "I am not."

Ash just chuckled, "Suuuuuurrrrrrre."

Misty looked at Ash as he put the blanket back on the sofa and noticed something that she had realized before: Ash was quite the looker nowadays. He had the same hair style, al be it slightly longer than before. Even fully clothed, Ash seemed more defined, body wise, and he was more attractive. She had come to this realization before from all of the pictures she had seen and the times he was on TV but this was the first time she had been face to face with him in so long that it was quite obvious.

It was funny, she thought. All the physical changes she noticed but he was still the same person he'd always been.

Ash had noticed her changes as well. She had grown-up, in every possible way for a girl, in exactly the right ways and places. She wasn't the curviest woman Ash had ever seen but she was close enough for any guy to gaze at. Just as with the mountain, there were moments that Ash had physically make himself not stare. She was even wearing her hair differently; let all hang loose and flow in contrast to her former ponytail.

Ash thought it looked way better. '_Man. How beautiful has she gotten since I've seen her last?_'

Soon, Brock came out of his room. "Did I hear a crash or a thud?"

"Like twenty minutes ago," Ash replied, sarcastically. "Where you been?"

"Sorry. Thought it was just someone in the hallway. You okay?"

Ash stood up, "I'm fine."

It was then that Ash noticed Brock's increase in stature. He looked exactly the same but he was taller and more built. Ash saw muscles he had never seen on Brock before and he saw them without even looking. He was clearly working out and it was clearly paying off. Ash wondered if Brock was still chasing girls or had they started chasing him.

"You have a bad dream?" Misty asked.

Ash ran his fingers through his hair, "Yeah and it's the weirdest one, too: it's like I'm hanging off of this cliff and I keep losing my grip. It happens to me every time… except, since I'm usually asleep on the ground, I just roll over. Sometimes, on to Pikachu, but it happens. Dream doesn't happen often but yeah."

Misty gasped. "You roll on top of Pikachu?"

Ash just sighed. "Is that all you heard?"

She giggled, "No, I heard the rest. It's just that was the most important part."

"Ah."

"Speaking of which, where is Pikachu?" Brock asked.

"Still asleep," Misty answered. "He looked so cute. I just couldn't wake him."

Ash rolled his eyes, "No wonder he never wants to battle you."

"He's a great friend."

"That's the truth," Brock agreed.

"Hey," Ash defended. "Never said he wasn't. He's just got a soft spot for Misty. Always has."

'_Bet that's mutual,_' Brock thought.

"Means he's smart," Misty pointed out.

Just then, Brock's stomach growled like a bear, causing his best friends to stare at him before bursting into laughter.

Brock laughed as well. "Oh, yeah. The real reason I came out here: I'm hungry."

"Why don't we all get ready and go get some breakfast?" Misty said.

"Sure," Ash agreed.

Brock did as well, "Sounds good to me."

Later, the whole group was down in the dining room of the resort, which was just as nice as one would expect. Beautiful tableware, clean snow white table cloths, and the wooden chairs were even carved into a beautiful sign complete with seat cushions.

"Such a nice place," Misty said.

As Brock looked around, he saw a brown haired trainer who looked very familiar. "Hey, is that Gary?"

Ash sighed, "Yeah."

Both of his best friends looked at Ash and Misty said, "Well that was heavy handed. What's wrong? I thought you were okay with Gary, now?"

"I am. It's just… hard to describe."

"Why?"

Ash shook his head, "Rather not talk about it."

Brock and Misty looked at each other, concerned about Ash, then back at him.

"O…kay then," Brock said.

As Ash looked around, doing his best to avoid looking Gary's direction, he did see someone approach that made him smile.

Noticing his smile, Misty asked, "What's with you?"

Ash stood up and called out, "Hey, Magnus!"

An older gentleman, in his mid-50s, looked over at Ash and smiled, then made his way toward Ash's table.

"Who's that?" Brock asked.

"Magnus," Ash said. "Guy helped me train a little over a year ago."

Magnus walked up to the table. He stood about six-foot-even with long purple hair tied in a ponytail and a goatee. Once he was closer, Brock and Misty took note of his unshaven look, slightly imposing build, but pleasant and inviting smile. He definitely liked someone Ash would have made friends with. Then, again, who couldn't Ash become friends with, they both thought.

Magnus put his hands on his hip. "Well, I'll be. Ash Ketchum, tha youngsta from Pallet. How long's it been?"

"About six months."

"Ya still training?"

"More or less."

"It better be more, kid, else I'll have ta give anotha lesson in hard knocks."

Ash chuckled, "Got enough of those."

Magnus just chuckled then looked at everyone else at the table, "Pikachu I know. Good ta see ya, by the way, lil' soldier."

"Pika pika!" Pikachu said.

"But who are ya friends, here?"

Ash introduced, "This is Brock and Misty. They're the two friends I told you about."

Magnus thought about it, "Oh, yeah! Tha gym leadas! I rememba now. It's a pleasha ta meet ya both."

"Same here," Brock replied.

"Pleasure's all ours," said Misty.

"Mannas. I like that. Ya got some good friends here, Ash."

"Don't I know it."

Brock and Misty really appreciated the compliment and took it to heart.

Magnus then lightly elbowed Ash, "Kid, ya neva said that this Misty was such a beauty."

Ash blushed, lightly, "Come on, Mags. I told you she was pretty."

"Yeah, but, kid, ya neva said THIS pretty."

Ash rolled his eyes, "Whatever."

Ash had not even caught the statement he just made in his own defense but Brock and Misty could not move past it.

'_Ash told someone that he thinks I'm pretty?_' Misty thought.

'_So…_' Brock thought, '_Ash thinks Misty's pretty. Am I surprised? Of course not._'

"Ash talks 'bout ya guys all tha time," Magnus explained. "The way he described ya I shoulda been able to pick ya both out of a crowd. Heh, must be gettin' old."

"Getting?" Ash asked, jokingly.

"Very funny, kid. Ya wish you'll look this good at my age."

Ash sneered, "Yeah, right. So, what are you doing here?"

"Ah, just hangin' around. Wanted ta get away. What are all of ya doing here?"

"Oh, we came on vacation," Brock answered, pointing at Misty and himself.

"And you, kid?"

Ash shrugged, "Came on a whim."

"Pika!"

"And ya got a room?" Magnus was confused.

Ash chuckled, nervously, "Not exactly."

"He's crashing on the couch in our suite," Misty said with a sly smile.

After giving Misty a glare, Ash just shook his head as he knew that she was only too eager to say that.

Magnus then laughed hard and loud. "Not planning ahead again, 'ey, kid? I thought I drilled those lessons inta ya head."

"Hey, you did for battles!" Ash said.

"Those were life lessons too, kid," Magnus explained. He then pointed at Ash, aiming his hand in the 'gun' formation, "Take 'em ta heart. They could just save ya life." He then made an imitation gun sound.

Ash laughed, "You got it."

Magnus smiled and put his hands in his pockets, "Well, my apologies for interruptin.' But, as always, it's good ta see ya, Ash. Maybe we can battle before we depart."

Ash nodded, "Count on it."

Magnus nodded, looked at Pikachu, "Lil' soldier."

"Pika!"

Magnus looked at everyone else, "It was a real pleasha to meet y'all. Have a good one."

Magnus then waved as he walked off as they all bid him good-bye.

Brock looked at Ash and substituted the one question he wanted to ask for another since Misty was sitting right there. "You did extra training?"

Ash shrugged, "I figured it couldn't hurt. And I learned a lot from Magnus. Spent about a month at his place. He specializes in metal-types but his companion and toughest Pokémon, ironically, is his Hitmonlee."

"Really?" Misty asked.

"Yeah. Kicked Pikachu's butt like three times in a row."

Pikachu took offense. "PIKA PI!"

"What?"

"Pika!" Pikachu held up two fingers, indicating he only lost twice.

"What are you counting?"

"Pikaaaaa…" Pikachu then imitated a kick followed by falling on his back.

Ash then thought it over. "Oh, yeah, right. The last one. Two losses and a draw… by a VERY narrow margin."

"Pika!" Pikachu said, smiling. He still didn't count it as a loss.

"Why'd you make Pikachu fight him so much?" Misty asked.

"Made him, nothing. He wanted to," Ash defended.

"Pikachu," Pikachu confirmed.

"I think he's still dying for a clear victory over Hitmonlee, too."

Again, Pikachu confirmed. "Pika."

Brock just laughed. "Well, what do you guys wanna do now?"

Misty looked outside and admitted, "I have been DYING to go skiing!"

"Sounds like fun," Brock said.

"Pika pika!"

Ash chuckled, "After my tumble off the sofa, I think the place I should be is on a set of skis, going down a mountain."

Everyone laughed.

"Good point," Brock agreed.

"But you guys go on," Ash said. "I'll just catch you later."

"You sure?" Misty asked.

"Guys… it's YOUR vacation. Have fun. I'm good."

"Alright," Brock said. "If you're sure."

"I am."

"So, let's get goin'," Misty insisted.

A couple of hours later, Misty and Brock were at the top of the slopes, just biting at the chance to go skiing. As they waited at the top of the slope, they looked around at all of the people and soon found Gary sitting nearby, with no one around him. Curious as to why, the duo walked over to greet him.

"Hey, Gary," Brock said.

Gary looked up and instantly recognized them. "Hey! Misty and Brock! Ash's forever friends. I thought I saw you guys earlier."

"How are you, Gary?" Misty asked.

"Doin' okay."

"Umm, not to pry, but… where's your entourage?"

"And fans?" Brock added.

"Oh, just wanted some peace and quiet," Gary said. "Truth be told I hate skiing. Just came up here to get away."

"Ah."

"So, how's life?" Misty asked.

"Good," Gary answered. He then thought about it and he smiled. "Better than good."

"What do you mean by that?" Brock asked.

"Ash didn't tell you?"

"Nope."

Gary stood up, smiling. "I'm getting married."

This blew the both of them away.

"Wow," Misty said.

"Wha-wha-wha-wha-wha…" Brock stammered.

Misty rolled her eyes. "What he means is congratulations."

Gary nodded, "Thanks."

"Who's the lucky girl?"

"He names Denise. Old friend of mine and Ash's from Pallet. After I went back home a couple of years ago, we… just kept in contact and I went back to see her every chance I got. Long story short, I got smart and got on one knee and she said yes."

Misty just giggled. "Wow. Congrats, again."

Gary chuckled, "Thanks. I can't believe Ash didn't tell you. He said that he got the invitation and everything."

"No, he hadn't mentioned it." Misty was surprised. Usually, Ash would have told them something like that. It was making her wonder what was going on with him.

Brock, on the other hand, was not as surprised. '_So, that's what's been bugging him._'

After a second, though, the same thought and line of thoughts started to occur to Misty as well.

Misty looked Brock, "You know? Let's go back down. Wanna talk to Ash."

"Right," Brock said.

They suddenly felt a rumble. A low one. Followed by a very violent one.

On one of the battlegrounds near the resort, Ash and Pikachu were taking place in a Pokémon battle with a random trainer, with Pikachu about to get a solid victory.

Ash shouted the next battle order at Pikachu. "Alright, Pikachu! Thunder…"

The same rumble was felt on the Pokémon field.

"What the heck was that?" Ash asked.

"Pika?" Pikachu asked, as well.

The rumble became much more violent and a chorus of thunder came from the mountain. Everyone looked and saw the resulting of the snowfall of huge avalanche.

A loud alert then went off, warning everyone to get inside the hotel. Ash and Pikachu did as instructed. They learned that the avalanche originated from the height of the slopes and, immediately, Ash knew that Misty and Brock were there.

With the avalanche catching so many people off guard, including Ash's best friends, almost none of the standard rescue crew was ready. Ash quickly left the hotel to join the rescue effort. A lot of the rescue crews were leaving from right outside the hotel. The helicopters landing on the Pokémon battle fields and any other clearings. Soon, Ash and Pikachu found a helicopter containing a pilot and two medical crew members.

"Hey! Are you guys going up there?"

"We're leaving now!" the pilot answered.

"I wanna tag along."

One of the medic looked at him, "Whoa, whoa! This is no place for a kid."

"Look, I get that," Ash said. "But my best friends are up there. I need to help save them. Plus, I'm a Pokémon trainer. My Pokémon can help."

The worker just sighed, "Look, kid, there's no way that…" He stopped and examined Ash's face, "Wait. Aren't you Ash? Guy that was in the Finals in the Hoenn League?"

Ash rolled his eyes, "Yeah, I'll regale you with the story of how it felt to lose if you let me on this chopper to help my friends!"

The medic sighed, "Alright."

The pilot shook his head but shrugged, "Get on board, kid! We're going now!"

With no time wasted, Ash and Pikachu hopped aboard.

Minutes later, they were hovering near the peak of Mt. Nakari, looking down to see if they could see anyone. By the time they arrived to the top, a couple of other choppers had made it to the summit as well. Despite the choppers being there, they did not contain quite enough medics to help out. Ash pulled out two poke balls and told the pilot to radio the other pilots to be on the lookout for his Bulbasaur, Skarmory, and Arcanine. Ash then let loose those Pokémon; Bulbasaur staying on the helicopter with him and Skarmory and Arcanine heading off into the snowdrift to look for the avalanche victims.

The rescue went on for about twenty minutes and, though the crews were rescuing dozens of people, Ash was growing more and more worried that he had not seen Misty or Brock yet. Eventually, Ash had Skarmory, Arcanine, and Bulbasaur, who was on Arcanine's back, take the additional people who could not fit on the helicopters, directly, back to the resort. After a few extra minutes and the rescue mission being almost over as most of the count of people who went up the mountain had been recovered already, Ash looked and, through the snow, saw what looked like Brock.

"PIKA!" Pikachu shouted.

"HEY!" Ash shouted, "Down there! That's one of my friends."

"Alright," the pilot said.

The chopper lowered but, as it could not get much lower, the pilot lowered down the retractable ladder. One of the medics was about to descend when Ash stopped him and went down himself, handing the medic his pokéballs to the medic.

The medic look at Ash, confused.

Ash shrugged, "Just in case."

The medic nodded.

Ash then went down the ladder. When Ash was closer to Brock, he shouted, "Brock!"

Brock groaned, looked up. "Ash?"

Ash extended his arm, "Take my hand, bro."

Brock groaned as he stretched his arm out, clearly in pain. He took hold of Ash's hand and Ash, showing a lot of strength, pulled Brock up. As he did so, he saw what looked like someone else partially buried in the snow.

"Misty?" Ash asked.

"She was…" Brock groaned to say as he grabbed hold of the ladder, "Right… next to me when the avalanche hit."

Ash looked back, then at Brock, "Get inside the chopper, bro."

Ash then jumped down from the ladder, landing feet first in the snowdrift, and he began, frantically, digging for Misty. When he caught site of her hand, it surprised by him but only for a half second. He continued furiously clawing at the snow to get her out. Soon, he completely uncovered her upper half.

"Hey," Ash said, propping her head up. "Hey! Hey, Misty!"

Misty opened her eyes, slowly. She could only hear Ash's voice at first as her vision was still blurred. "Ash… Ash…"

"Hey, come on!"

She shook off her shock. "Ash… what…"

"There was an avalanche."

"I… know… but… what are you doing here?"

"What do you mean? I came to help you."

She just stared at him. "You… you did?"

He gently laid her head down. "Well, yeah." He dug more of her body out of the snow. "Why else would I be here? I mean, I'm here to help Brock, too, but… yeah…"

Misty just kept staring at him.

Ash then dug all of her out of the snow. "Alright, let's get out of here."

"O… okay…"

He then pulled her up and grabbed hold of the ladder, again demonstrating great strength as he pulled her on to the chopper. Once they got back inside the chopper, Ash saw Brock leaning his head back, completely out of it. Brock looked and saw them get in.

"Hey…" Brock grinned. "…check you out… hero."

Ash just chuckled. "Oh, gimme a break."

Brock chuckled but then frowned and gasped. "Gary…"

"Huh?" Ash asked.

"Gary… Gary… was down there… he was near us…"

Ash looked back down at the snow and shifted his eyes to and fro before deciding to settle on the area where he found Brock and Misty but to no avail.

After another minute with no luck, the chopper pilot declared, "Hey, we can't wait around. We're running low on fuel. We'll have to come back."

Soon, however, Ash saw some snow move. "No, wait!"

Some more snow moves and Gary crawls out, breathing hard.

"Go back!"

"You got it!" The pilot replied.

They got closer to Gary and Ash went over to the edge, near the ladder again.

"Lower it down!"Ash ordered. The pilot did as instructed.

Brock and Misty were impressed how Ash was taking charge of this situation. This was a side of him they were not used to.

Ash climbed down the ladder until he close enough to drop down. He then grabbed hold of Gary and pulled him further out of the snow. Gary crawled out as Ash pulled until he was free.

Gary looked up at his fellow Pallet native. "Ash… what are you doing here?"

"I was gonna ask you the same thing. You hate skiing."

"Decided… to give it… one more try. Won't be… doing it again."

Ash chuckled as he slung Gary's arm over his neck. "Let's get you outta here."

They went back to the ladder and they both started to climb up, Ash sending Gary up first.

The mountain started to rumble again. Ash thought it felt like a Pokémon charging up for a Hyper Beam. The helicopter slowly but surely lifted up higher so as to avoid getting caught by more snow.

Ash and Gary weren't quite ready for the helicopters sudden movement and Gary almost lost his grip. Ash grabbed his leg to steady and urged him on. Once they were close enough, the medics and Brock help Gary get in.

After getting Gary into the helicopter, Ash started to climb in, as well, but, just as he started, one of the cords on the ladder snapped, causing Ash to grunt as he felt the sudden drop.

"ASH!" Misty screamed.

Ash grunted as he looked down at the snow below, still dangling from the broken ladder. He tried to swing himself back up but, the second he did, the other cord snapped and Ash fell toward the snow below.

"ASH!" Misty screamed again.

"NOOO!" Brock shouted.

"PIKA PI!" Pikachu shouted.

Gary just looked in shock.

Time seemed to slow to all four of them as the man they knew, who just risked his life saving them, was falling to very fate he helped them avoid.

Ash hit the snow, hard, grunting upon impact, and rolled down the snow a ways before stopping. The impact knocked absolutely all of the wind from him but not quite unconscious. He tried to focus on the chopper but his head was woozy.

Misty just stared in horror as Brock, frantically, moved over to the pilot, "We have to go back! Put this thing down! Land it!"

"We can't!" the pilot proclaimed. "The ladder's out and there's an aftershock coming."

"A What?" Brock shouted.

Just then, they all looked to more snow moving ferociously down the mountain, causing another wave of snow to roaring down toward Ash. Misty, Brock, Pikachu, and Gary just looked in horror as Ash disappeared under the snow. The chopper flew away, heading back for the resort.

There was nothing anyone could do.

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><p>Holy crap! What is going to happen next? Guess you'll just have to stay tuned, true believers. :) (I have always wanted to say the "true believers" line)<p> 


	3. Survive

Welcome back! Now for the next drama filled chapter of the Mt. Nakari Experience! Keep in mind, when we last left Ash, he had just fallen out of a helicopter in his successful attempt to save his friends. Now, Ash is the one in danger. What will happen? Well, I know! But you guys gotta read to find out! :) Also, to all of you have read this, reviewed it, and been begging for more... THANK YOU! You guys have made my day in recent weeks. Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: Survive<strong>

Freezing cold.

That's all Ash could feel.

That was his first immediate and, so far, only sensation.

He groaned as he moved around a little. Pain was now starting to hit him in small doses.

As much pain as Ash was staring to the feel, the cold feeling was the more prevalent with the thick blanket of white covering him.

The aftershock of the avalanche had not buried him as deep as one would think since most of the snow had moved past him. The amount of snow covering him was substantial, however, and it took a lot of effort for him to push his way through. Once he made his way out of the snowdrift, Ash scooted up a bit and fell flat on his back, breathing heavily.

"Well…" he panted, "that sucked…"

He laid there a few more seconds before deciding to move. He then sat up to assess the damage to his person. He did a mental check and, so far, felt fine.

'_Maybe I didn't land as hard I thought,_' the Pallet Town native thought to himself.

He then tried to stand up, feeling a sharp pain in his right leg, causing him to shout in pain and, immediately, sit back down.

"Okay! Maybe I was wrong!"

After his attempt to rise, he also felt a lot of pain coming from his abdomen and right arm, as well, causing him to reach across his abdomen and taking hold of his right arm and grip down in pain.

"Great… Must've landed wrong. Then again, how the heck do you land right falling from a helicopter?"

He looked up and saw that the sky was beginning to get dark, which told Ash one of two things, neither of them being a pleasant idea. The first was the darkened sky meant was that night was setting in and it was about to get colder; the second was that a storm was coming, which meant more snow, harsher winds, and it was about to get colder. Of the two, Ash was praying for nightfall as that was the hands-down winner. Unfortunately, since he did not know how long he was out, Ash could not figure out which was on its way but he knew he had to get moving.

'_No sense in staying here,_' he thought to himself.

He then focused, knowing that the pain was coming as soon as he stood up. He got to his feet, hobbling for a second but soon got a good foot hold, which, considering he was standing on snow, was quite impressive.

After getting to his feet, he said, "Well, I've felt worse." He sighed in depression. "I hate that that's true. Now, which way…?"

Having lost all bearings, Ash looked around, trying to figure out which direction to go. He soon saw what looked like a rise in the distance. Since he knew he wouldn't make it anywhere near the resort in so little time, he figured he better get some place to rest, not sleep, and head out in the morning. He was hoping the rise would provide him shelter, at least enough to keep the winds off of him for a little while. With no other choice, Ash slowly made his way toward the rise.

Back at the resort, the skiers and other avalanche victims were being treated from the experience and Misty, Brock, and Pikachu were nervous wrecks. The two Kanto region gym leaders suffered a few cuts and bruises and did not even suffer any concussions; so, physically, they were fine. Emotionally, however, they were anything but.

They were trying to find someone to take them back to the other side of the mountain and find Ash. Unfortunately, no one was heading back out since it was night and there was a threat of a storm and there was just too much mountain to cover when it was so dark. Flying at night was simply not going to happen.

Defeated, the threesome all went back to their room.

Once back, it did not take long for Misty to enter into a panic. "What are we going to do? What are we going to do?"

Brock was doing everything he could to keep them both together. "Misty, try to calm down…"

"I can't! Ash is out there! He's probably still unconscious in the snow! He's gonna freeze to death! We-we need to do something! We… we need to get out there! We need to save him!" She was on the verge of tears. "We have to. We just have to."

Seeing the panic, Pikachu tapped her leg, causing her to look down. "Pika pi."

"Oh, Pikachu…" She knelt down and hugged him.

The Pewter City gym leader looked at Ash's pokéballs given to him by medic on the helicopter. He looked back at Misty hugging Pikachu. Brock kneeled down as well, putting his hand on Misty's shoulder. "It'll be okay. Ash is a survivor."

"But he left all of his Pokémon here… when… when he… helped save all of the skiers."

Brock sighed, "I know… I know." He stood up and walked to the window. "But it's already night. We can't do anything tonight. It's too dangerous to fly and…"

"I know, alright?" She calmed down. "I know…"

"Pikachu…" Pikachu cooed.

Misty pulled Pikachu closer. "I'm… I'm sorry. Brock, I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

"It's just… I'm worried…"

"Me, too. But we have to believe in Ash. He's been in tough scrapes before."

"But he's always had us or someone to help him and…"

"And he'll make it through this one. At the very least, long enough for us to find him."

Misty was fighting back the urge to cry. "You believe that?"

"One hundred per cent."

Misty actually managed a smile. "Thanks, Brock."

"Pika Pi," Pikachu echoed.

Brock nodded, "No problem." He then helped Misty to her feet, "Now, you guys go get some sleep."

Misty took a couple of deep breaths. "Okay, but, aren't you going to bed?"

"Gonna go ask when they plan on starting to look for survivors. Wanna get a early start, right?"

Both Misty and Pikachu nodded.

"So, go rest. I'll be back." Brock then left the room. He walked to Gary's room and knocked on the door.

One of the bodyguards opened it. "Yeah?"

Brock just stared at him. "Look, I need to talk to Gary."

"Mr. Oak is trying to relax. Come back some other time."

"I need his help to save our friend."

"I said…"

"Let him in, Morris," Gary's voice came from inside.

"Yes, sir." Morris moved out of the way and Brock walked in.

"What about Ash?" Gary asked.

"I need your celebrity so we can find him. People'll listen to you. Maybe you can finagle a helicopter ride for us in the morning."

Gary seemed to have a look of grief in his eyes. "I… I… I'll do what I can."

Along with the look in his eyes, Brock heard something in Gary's voice that was very different from the Gary Oak he has known for years. "What's wrong with you?"

Gary walked around, moving toward the window. "He… he was saving me."

"Huh?"

"He was saving me. When we were kids, I tortured him like crazy but he was saving me."

"He was saving all of us."

"But I was the last one he was getting in the helicopter when the ladder broke. He didn't climb in first and pull me in… he made sure I was in first. All I did to him back then… and he still put himself last." He scoffed. "Years of making his life miserable, and he risks his life… to save me." He walked to his sofa and sat back down, "If it hadn't been for me…"

"Stop talking like that. Ash'll be fine."

Gary wasn't so sure about that. He looked up at Brock, "I hope you're right."

Later, Ash was sitting in the cave that the above rise had revealed. He sat in the cave, sitting by the fire that he started. Earlier, he found the remnants of nearby tree sticking out of the snow and a few that were standing not too far off from the cave and the wood had just recently been dry enough to make a fire. It was so difficult to gather enough wood to make the fire and all of that the effort had tired him out but he managed to keep awake.

As he was staring at the fire, Ash was clutching himself as he the night grew colder. He set his coat near the fire to get to dry off a bit and make it warmer. He was trying to figure out what to do next and how he was going to make it through the night. One thing the Pokémon trainer knew he had to do was stay awake; for, if he fell asleep, the chance came, with the freezing cold, the threat of frostbite, and how deep a sleep he could fall into, he might not wake up.

The whole situation reminded him of something similar years ago. He started to reminisce about the time that he and Pokémon were trapped in a snow drift.

That made him chuckle. '_The good ol' days._'

The memory of that gave him the idea to start thinking about things to keep him awake. In a way, he thought about retelling his own story to himself. He started thinking about all of the people he had met over his journey. Soon, dozens upon dozens of names and faces came to his mind. After all, ten years of travelling was a long time. With all of the memories, his mind was going all over the place, which was just making his head hurt.

"Okay, too much," he complained. Since his right leg was still paining him, he pulled his left leg up, getting his knee closer to his face, almost directly under his chin while leaving his right leg straight. "Maybe I should just start from the beginning, slow it down some."

He reminisced about the day after his tenth birthday. It was the day his whole life changed. It was a day he never looked back on with regret. That was also the day he met Pikachu. But that also lead to one more instance that he had not intended: that was the day he met Misty. Just a few days later, he met Brock. Ash chuckled. Between Pikachu, Misty, and Brock, the Pallet Pokémon trainer got a support network that he never even expected and that he knew he couldn't live without. That's why Ash risked everything for them. He'd do it again.

The more he started to think about Misty and Brock, the more he realized that he really did not have two better friends in the world than them. Brock, as he always said and always told him, was the big brother he never had and always wanted. It was such a close bond that they would call each other "brother" at times and not even realize it. Misty was the first friend that he made in a long time; she was one of the people he trusted the most and he had a crush on her so huge it kept him up at night.

At that thought, Ash blinked a few times and sat straight up. '_What did I just say?_'

He looked around, a vain attempt to find something else to blame thinking about Misty like that on.

After doing so, he mentally kicked himself, '_Boy, that was smart._'

He moved some of the wood around to keep the fire going. After that, he let his mind wander again.

Brock and Misty. There were no two people that knew him better or that he trusted more.

But this he knew. It was that latest revelation about Misty that had his attention.

"Misty…" Ash said, out loud. "Why, though? Why am I thinking about all of this now?"

As he stared at the fire, Ash thought about Misty.

"I know why I'm thinking about this now." He then sighed, "I'm sorry, Misty. But I lied to you about that dream." He did not know why he was making this confession, now; he just knew that he was. "I was dreaming that you were falling… I was trying to save you." The Pallet native bowed his head into his knee and sighed, "Why didn't I just tell her that?" He looked back up, continuing to stare into the fire.

The next morning, Brock, Misty, and Pikachu met Gary in the lobby of the resort.

"Did you find a ride?" Misty asked.

"Yeah," Gary confirmed. "One of the helicopter pilots. Guy's supposed to meet us outside in about ten minutes."

"Good," Brock said. He then semi-whispered, "Just in time."

"Huh?" Misty asked.

"Last night, I made call to a certain trainer to let a certain Pokémon of Ash's know what was going on and to help us search. Based on the flight time, he should be outside in about ten minutes."

"What plane is going to come here?" Gary asked.

"This Pokémon doesn't need one."

Misty was unsure what that meant but shook her head, "Whatever. Let's just go find him."

As they were about to walk out of the door, they saw Magnus walk in. Magnus saw them all and smiled. "Hey. Heard about tha avalanche. Glad ta see that y'all are okay." He then looked around, "Where's tha kid?"

"'The kid'?" Gary asked, confused.

"He means Ash," Brock said. "And… he's… lost out there somewhere."

"Ya can't find 'im?" Magnus asked.

Brock relayed the account of yesterday to Magnus, who then turned even more serious.

"Kid…" Magnus breathed out, clearly worried. He then sighed. "Reckless, as usual. Sounds just like 'im, though: riskin' himself, savin' otha people."

Gary's guilt hit again. "Yeah…"

"Hey. Don't let it get ta ya, youngen. Tha kid does for othas. It's who he is. It's why I trained him. I don't waste ma time on cowards or people who ain't got no heart."

Gary looked up and, for the first time since yesterday, showed the semblance of a smile.

"I'm goin' with ya. We have ta find 'im."

"The more the merrier," Brock said.

"Thanks."

"Umm…" Misty shyly approached. "Mister Magnus."

"No need for tha 'mister,' young lady. Magnus is jus' fine."

"Do… do you think he's okay?"

Magnus could easily see the pain in Misty's eyes and hear it in her voice. He also knew that she really wanted to ask if he thought that Ash was alive. He smiled and put his hand on her shoulder. "That kid's got a tenacity that I just ain't seen in otha people. He's okay. He's too stubborn ta be odawise."

Misty actually giggled.

"Now, c'mon. Let's go find 'im." Magnus then laughed. "Heck, it's breakfast time! Let's just listen for his stomach growlin'! That'll lead us right to 'im." He laughed again.

This joke made everyone feel a little bit better. They went outside where all of Ash's Pokémon, that he had helping save others yesterday, were waiting.

Gary saw the pilot and waved at him, then looked at Brock. "Alright, where's the Pokémon?"

Brock pointed up and they saw something flying around in the sky. Suddenly, what was flying went into a nosedive. It got closer to reveal that it was Charizard. He extended his wings to slow to a stop and landed among them.

Misty gasped, "Charizard!"

"Pi Pikachu!" Pikachu shouted with glee.

He roared in happiness to see all of his old friends, especially as Misty and Pikachu ran and hugged him.

"That's one good surprise," Gary said.

"I thought so." Brock looked at all others and asked, "Everyone ready?"

And all of them, human and Pokémon alike, nodded and they got ready to find Ash.

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><p>So, now, Charizard is in the fray! Will the group find Ash? Is he still conscious? Did he last the night? Stay tuned, true believers! (Now that I've started saying that, I can't stop. Haha!) Rate and comments! Come on, guys! Let me know what you think so far!<p> 


	4. Endure

What's up, everyone? I have returned with the next thrilling installment of the "Mt. Nakari Experience"! Now, to recap, Ash is still lost on the mountain but Brock, Misty, Pikachu and others are desperate and determined to find him. But will they find him in time? Did he even last through the night? Well, don't just sit there... GET TO READING! :) Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter 4: Endure<strong>

That morning, Ash made his way out of the cave, with a strong sense of pride of himself having lasted through the night. He started, aimlessly, walking across the snow in hopes of finding someone or finding a way back to the resort or even a nearby town. He walked for what seemed like hours but, of course, he had no way of telling. He looked around, confused as the landscape started to look exactly the same. The Pallet trainer groaned and just sat down on the snow. He looked back up at the sky and saw the sun was a good distance in the sky, leading him to guess that it was about eight or nine in the morning.

'_Apparently, I haven't been walking as long as I thought._'

The next thing Ash heard scared him: a low grumbling sound.

The Pokémon trainer turned his head from this way to that but saw no one. The noise got louder. Ash kept looking but saw nothing.

He suddenly felt really hungry.

Ash hit himself in the forehead with his open palm. '_That's your stomach, genius._' He looked down at his abdomen and sure enough the growling noise echoed again. He shrugged, got up, and kept moving.

Ash walked down, trying to not fall down and roll down the mountain. He was doing surprisingly well, though he was moving so very slowly. His leg was still paining him intensely. Ash figured that it must be broken but he could still walk on it so it made him wonder what was going on. Maybe it was a sprain or a fracture, maybe even a dislocation of a joint. Still, he was in pain so he decided to take a break. He carefully eased himself down on the snow, keeping the same hope that he wouldn't sink in.

As he sat on the snow, the black haired traveler just wished at how much he would like a huge breakfast right now. He could almost smell it: eggs, bacon, waffles, pancakes, and orange juice.

'_Man, that would taste good._'

Ash threw his head back, taking a sharp gasp.

He realized he had fallen asleep. Not a good idea.

He looked around in a daze, trying to get his bearings once again. He had to get up. He had to keep moving. It took a lot more will than Ash thought was going to be necessary but he eventually pushed himself up and began walking.

Above the mountain, the helicopter was high up above where Ash fell. Misty, Gary, Magnus, and the two paramedics they brought along all searched the ground frantically for Ash. Brock was on the back of Charizard along with Pikachu doing the same. There was no sign of any tracks. No one really expected there would be any but they hoped all of the same. After hanging in the sky in that area for a while, Brock motioned that he was going to check around the lower part of the mountain while the chopper stayed at the upper area.

Elsewhere, Ash was still trekking through the snow, getting more and more weary with each step. The pain in his right leg had become intense but he managed to push it out of his mind. A couple of hours had gone by since his first break and he was debating whether or not to take another but he held on to the belief that sooner or later he would find something: a building, another person, a random telephone, a house in the snow, something.

Unfortunately, his luck ran out with a random hole in the snow. He left leg sunk right into the snow, while his right got stretched out. Despite the pain, Ash caught himself from sinking to far as the drop only went as far as his knee. Still, more damage was done and more pain was put on the already tired and strained Pokémon trainer.

Ash pushed himself up and got to his hands and knee, breathing hard. "Can I… just get… ONE BREAK!" He didn't so much yell the last words out as he did breathe them out as hard he could.

He got back to his feet and his right leg felt even worse. Ash was absolutely sure it was broken now.

But he couldn't stop.

He knew that.

He kept walking.

He was in a lot more pain now.

And walking a lot slower.

Ash started to question what the point was to all of this. He knew he didn't know where he was going. At this rate, it would be night before he got to nowhere. He contemplated giving up; just stopping, falling asleep, and whatever happened would happen.

Almost as soon as those thoughts crept in, Ash sighed and shut them right back out. He couldn't quit. It just wasn't him. He'd been in tough spots before, granted nothing like this, but he never quit. He just couldn't do it now either. He couldn't… he wouldn't go down easy, not without a fight. If he had to see it end on this mountain, he'd go down swinging.

Still, it was freezing cold, he had a broken leg, his ribs were killing him, and his right arm still hurt like all heck. But at least he had some warm clothes and could still walk. He was walking like a zombie and the warmth of his clothes was mostly gone as the cold was seeping right through but he was still walking.

Ash just shrugged. '_At least, things can't get any worse._'

He then heard some more low rumbling and figured it was just his stomach again. He ignored the sound and kept moving. The sound didn't go away but in fact got louder.

Ash thought it was his stomach again. '_Man, I am soooo hungry._'

The noise then echoed all across the snow. It was so loud it told Ash one thing: there was no way that his stomach.

He turned around to see three Piloswines barreling toward him.

Ash yelled and then took off running, screaming the whole way. He ran as hard and fast as he could and, considering the pain he was in, the broken leg, and the lack of sleep he had, that was surprisingly fast. The Piloswines started firing Powder Snow at him but Ash was running in a zigzag when he could and an unintentional angle, making him hard to hit. He kept running and screaming, having no idea where to go. He was afraid to look back. He was hoping that he was out running the Piloswines. He wasn't sure if they had stopped using Powder Snow or whether he couldn't tell the difference between their attack and actual snow. Either way, he kept running until he saw a downed tree. The master hopeful ran and jumped behind it, very much out of breath.

Since he had a chance to breathe, Ash mentally slapped himself. '_Things can't get any worse. How stupid can you get, Ash?_' He, of all people, should've known better. It was ironic because had anyone else said that around Ash about to say that phrase, he would've stopped them mid-sentence. Saying that is just begging for trouble.

He peered over the tree, slowly, and saw that he had really put quite a bit of distance between him and the Piloswines to the point of where they lost sight of him but were close enough that if Ash made too much noise they'd be on him in no time. Ash quickly ducked back behind the tree and waited until he heard the Piloswines move on.

After they were gone, Ash breathed a sigh of relief. He stood up.

At least, he thought about it.

He knew that he should. He wanted to. He had to. He needed to. He tried to.

But he couldn't.

The Pallet native had literally run out of the strength. He was very the definition of the spirit being willing but the flesh being weak. The difference was the flesh was absolutely unable to continue on. He was close to panicking but the only panic happening was in his mind. His body couldn't even respond to that.

He was leaning against the tree, breathing hard, trying to find any bit strength to get up. Praying for any strength to stand. He could keep going from there if he could just get up. Any energy to do so would do the trick. The smallest amount would do. He simply couldn't.

He couldn't feel any pain his right leg. He couldn't feel his legs at all. He could barely feel any extremities. The adrenaline rush had run out and all the energy that he had left was taken up in the run.

What was worse was that Ash's eye lids were getting heavier. He couldn't focus on the horizon or anything else. He was getting more and more exhausted by the second. Soon, he couldn't stay conscious. As dangerous as it was, Ash couldn't help it. He was just so tired. So exhausted.

He fell asleep.

The helicopter was circling around the mountain and still had seen no sign of Ash. Misty had been close to hyperventilating several times but had will herself calm so she wouldn't worry everybody else. The look in her eyes was giving Gary plenty of cause for worry, though. Still, he had his own mindset to worry about.

For Gary, Ash was always the rival he wanted. Always to give him the best competition for the same reason that Ash was even in this situation in the first place: there was no quit in Ash. Even when both dreamed of being Pokémon masters, Ash seemed to have something in him that told Gary Ash would never stop until he achieved his dream. Gary respected that, admired that. Heck, there were days he even thought Ash was better than him. Gary just never said any of that to Ash.

Magnus was by far the most calm one on the chopper, even including the paramedic and the chopper. His head was just on a constant swivel, trying to find any sign of anything that look like footprints or tracks or the outline of a human body. His eyes only left the snow when he checking on the panicked Misty and Gary then he would go right back to the search. He was vigilant just not overly excited. Simply put, he wasn't worried. He had faith in Ash. He knew the young trainer would pull through.

Brock, Charizard, and Pikachu were still carefully searching down close to the base of the mountain. They hadn't even seen any tracks of Ash. Pikachu was still silently in great fear that they would never find his master and Brock was freaking out, too. Charizard, on the other hand, didn't have the same problem most everyone else was having. Maybe it was because Ash never gave up on him when he refused to listen to his master after he evolved from Charmander and Charmeleon. Maybe it was because Charizard had seen Ash in tough scrapes before and not give up. Maybe it was because Ash was his master and friend. It didn't matter what the reason was; Charizard wasn't going to leave Ash out here in the snow alone, not if he could help it. He was so greatly determined that he refused to give up. He knew Ash was alive. And, no matter what, he was going to find him.

Regardless of the Dragon Pokémon's feelings, the helicopter came back around having seen no sign of Ash and starting to run low on fuel. Everyone was shaking her heads, giving an indication of no sign of their friend. Charizard saw the signs of surrender on all of them, which made him angry and more determined.

Both teams were just about to give up when Charizard saw something that made him roar with glee. He didn't give any warning to Brock or Pikachu when he suddenly performed a nose dive for the ground. Misty took notice and figured that there was only one reason that Charizard would have done that. She told the chopper pilot to lower down. He did so.

As Charizard got closer to the ground, everyone saw why he was landing and they all breathed a huge sigh of relief. There, leaning against a fallen tree, was the raven haired Pokémon trainer. Charizard landed and ran up to the unconscious Ash and nuzzled him in an attempt wake him up.

"Ash?" Brock hopped off of Charizard's back. "ASH!"

"PIKA!" Pikachu yelled.

They both ran up to him and Brock started shaking him, "Ash! Ash!" When Ash didn't react, Brock feared the worse.

The paramedics ran up, followed closely by Misty then Magnus and Gary. They paramedics quickly checked his pulse.

Gary put his hands on his head, almost panicking as the medics worked. It was one of the few times he found himself praying. After all, Ash was as close to a best friend as he had.

Misty dashed to Ash, pretty much sliding in the show. She knelt next to him and started to moving his hair, staring at his face. She pressed her hand to his cheek and closed her eyes. "Ash? Please… please, be okay."

"We still have a pulse," one of the medics said.

Everyone's eyes brightened with hope. No one's more than Misty's.

"We gotta get him out of here, ASAP," the other replied.

They both picked him but quickly Gary and Brock helped lift him up. They carried him to the copter and secured him inside before the chopper and Charizard flew off for the hospital in Nakari Town.

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><p>YEAH! THEY FOUND ASH! But, wait... he's unconscious. Were they too late? Is this the end for everyone's favorite trainer from Pallet Town? What's gonna happen next? Oh, trust me! I'm not done yet. ;) Just keep reading, true believers. Just keep reading! And commenting! Let me know what's on your minds! Until next time!<p> 


	5. Waiting

I think it was Timbaland who said, "It's been a long time, shouldn'ta left you..." :) Anyway, sorry, everyone. Problems in the personal life got me MAJORLY distracted. But don't worry. I'm going to make it up to you guys. All of you of have favorited this story, subscribed to it, I can't tell you how much that brightens my day, each and every time. Honestly, thank you. Anyway, ON WITH THE SHOW! Quick recap: Ash has been found... but is he alright? What are you waiting for? Get to readin'! ;)

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><p><strong>Chapter 5: Waiting<strong>

The helicopter landed in front of the hospital about a half hour after finding Ash. A medical team with a gurney was standing by outside and sprung into action as soon as the helicopter landed. The door to the chopper opened and, in a flash, the med team was at the door with the gurney, quickly loading the unconscious trainer on to it. The others followed right after, looks of concern on all of their faces, even Magnus though his was more stoic his worry than the young people. Charizard landed right behind them, Brock and Pikachu leaping off his back, and wanted to go inside but realized he couldn't fit through the door. He looked down and Brock shouted back. "We'll let you know what the doctor says buddy. We promise!"

Charizard just nodded.

The gurney was rushed toward the emergency room, the doctors and nurses using medical jargon that none of the others understood. They prevented the group going the swinging double doors, which also sent Misty into a panic. Brock put his hands on her shoulders to calm her down, but it only helped so much. With no other choice, they all just sat in the chairs just outside of the emergency room area… and waited.

The waiting was the worst part.

In some ways, it was worse than actually searching for Ash in the first place but not as bad as not knowing where he was.

Minutes turned into an hour and everyone, even Magnus, was starting to fear the worst. The questions of if they had gotten to Ash in time or not was entering their minds. And each of them were reacting in their own ways.

Misty sat with her head buried in her hands. Her mind had been and still was all over the place since they found Ash. The whole helicopter right she held on to his hand, no one having the ability to try and make her not to nor did they have a reason. There were times that she swore that she couldn't feel a pulse, which almost made her own stop. The water Pokémon trainer was starting to wonder why she was so worried about her friend. This wasn't the typical worry. Ash was… is her friend, her best friend. But she knew this was more. Part of her knew why she was feeling this way but the worry about the situation pushed all of those thoughts aside until later. She still had her head tucked when Pikachu came over and hopped into the seat next to her. She looked at the electric Pokémon and grabbed him into a hug. This made them both feel worlds better.

Brock just kept looking at the emergency room door, anxiously waiting for someone to walk through with news. He was doing his best to keep it together but it just came across as almost anger than worry. He hadn't snapped at anybody but his demeanor was jittery. He would move, stand up, and sit in awkward ways, all of which came at random and in no particular order, and he was starting to shake. Brock didn't want to lose Ash. Ash was like his brother and, though he had plenty, he didn't want to lose any. He was sitting, with his eyes glued to the door. His left leg was moving up and down and tremors were going through his hands. His face didn't show it but he was two seconds from crying. While he stared at the door, Misty, still carrying Pikachu, walked over and sat next to him and took hold of the rock Pokémon gym leader's hand. Brock looked at her and at Pikachu and managed to calm down. All three of them looked at the door, praying for good news.

Gary looked absolutely grief stricken, the exact things he worried about on the helicopter and last night were plaguing him now. Only now, they came with the possibility that Ash wouldn't be alive long enough for Gary to thank him for saving him. As he sat in almost visible pain, Magnus, who was sitting next to him, patted him on the back. Gary looked up at Magnus, who gave a smirk and a nod. Somehow, Gary actually felt better.

Magnus was pleasantly surprised by everyone's reaction to Ash's situation. He knew that Ash always had good friends but this good of friends blew him away. The Pallet trainer constantly talked to Magnus about Misty and Brock and even mentioned Gary in a few conversations. And Ash's overall attitude just made him very approachable. Ash always made Magnus laugh, which was hard to do when they first met considering where he was in his personal life, and Ash was one of the first friends he had in a long time when they met. One of the main reasons he ever agreed to train Ash was because he just genuinely liked the kid. Apparently, Magnus thought, that feeling is widely shared. As the older trainer was looking at the young people, he could see all of their faces and that told him all he needed to know about Ash, which actually just confirmed what he knew: he was a great friend.

A couple of hours later, a doctor came out and looked at them all. "Did all of you come with the one who they rescued today?"

Misty stood up first, at a blazing speed, surprising Pikachu. "Yes! Yes, yes, yes. How is he? Is he okay? Is he…" Her voice caught. "Is he alive?"

Everyone stood up.

The doctor nodded. "Very much so. He was very malnourished and dehydrated but, with a lot of rest, an IV, and time off of his feet, he'll be alright."

The group breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"Though… he was very close to being frost bitten and he won't be walking straight for a while."

They all looked at him worried.

"What do you mean?" Misty asked.

The doctor sighed. "His leg is broken."

They all gasped.

"Plus, he has a fractured arm and three bruised ribs."

The doctor took note of the look of worry on all of their faces.

"But… I assure you, he'll be fine."

They all relaxed a little.

"Listen, no one in there could tell me how he got that way. Can any of you tell what happened to him?"

"He, um…" Misty struggled to say. "He was helping… rescue people from the avalanche yesterday. He fell out of a helicopter and… and he, uh… he, uh…" She was a breath away from crying.

Brock saw that she couldn't go on. "He was lost on the mountain once the aftershock hit and he was stuck out there until we found him."

The doctor looked in surprise. He started to recollect about the avalanche. He treated more than a few patients from it. "That was yesterday." Another realization hit him. "And he was out there by himself all this time?"

"We found him further down the mountain," Brock added.

The doctor looked back at the door. He was impressed that anyone, let alone a young man like Ash, could survive that and make it all that way. He turned back to the others. "The leg injury looked like it started as a fracture. If he walked on it for an extended length of time, then it probably caused the break."

"When can we see 'im, Doc?" Magnus asked.

"In a little bit. We're going to move him to another room. But I advise you that he'll be out of it for a while. I can't tell when he'll wake exactly. I just know that he will." The doctor turned to go back but stopped and then looked at them all. "You know, if he had stayed out there one more night… I'm not sure we'd be getting to have this conversation. He's very lucky to have all you."

They all breathed a sigh of relief and exuberance at this news. Ash was going to be okay. And the doctor's words really helped them all feel better. Brock then remembered that there was someone else who deserved that praise.

He walked outside to see Charizard with a worried look on his face. "Hey, buddy."

Charizard growled in a sad tone, clearly worried about Ash.

"He's hurt. But the doctor said he'll be fine."

Charizard smiled.

"He also said if it wasn't for you… Ash wouldn't have lasted another night." Brock walked up to the Fire Pokémon and petted is snout. "You saved his life, Charizard. And, when he wakes up, I know he'll say it but I'm gonna say it now: thank you."

Charizard held his grin and pulled Brock into a hug, which made the Pewter gym leader laugh.

It seemed like an endless black. Like he was never going to wake up. Ash knew that something was different though. He couldn't feel, see, or hear anything but he knew something different. Something about where he was had changed.

The first thing he immediately noticed was he wasn't cold anymore. He didn't know how or why but he was extremely grateful. Very slowly, the phenomena of sound came back to Ash. Though he was somewhere silent, the Pokémon trainer knew he could, at least, hear the silence. He slowly, very slowly, opened his eyes and the lights blurred for what seemed like hours when only a few minutes had passed by. All he saw were lights in indeterminate constructs, looking more like ice cream swirls than anything else. Soon, the lights turned into shapes. Colors filled in more solidly, his vision slowly coming back. Ash snapped his eyes shut for a second as he felt the sensation of pain come back. He tensed up and looked down to see his right leg elevated and in a cast. He groaned and finally felt something on his right arm. It was another cast.

'_I broke my arm?_' Ash thought. '_Didn't even feel like it was broken._'

He then felt something against his abdomen. Since that area was still in pain, he figured that it must've been bandages on his ribs.

He looked around and saw that someone was sitting in the chair in the room. His eyes were still out of focus and it hurt for him to turn his head. He worked through the pain anyway and saw that someone with long red hair and something yellow in their lap.

It was Misty and Pikachu. She was asleep in a chair, facing him with his faithful electric companion curled against her.

He had never seen a better sight. If he could only smile but his whole face hurt.

Ash looked around the room. It was rather large, he thought, for a hospital room. There was a row of about four chairs against the wall that his bed was against underneath a window. There was a TV on the opposite side of the room. He looked to his left side, his non-casted side, and saw the EKG and IV. Directly in front of him, just beyond his broken leg and the end of the bed, was a door that must've led to the hallway. He looked out of the window and saw that the sun was not that far up from the horizon. It was morning. Ash remembered that it was still morning when he was walking down the mountain. He wondered if this was the morning of the following day or if he had been out for a while. If it was the latter, then how long had he been out?

His guess about the door leading to the hallway was correct when the door opened. A nurse walked in with a clipboard. She locked eyes with Ash. "Oh! Good morning. Glad to see you're awake."

Ash had a sentence in mind but, the second he tried to speak, he found out how still out of it he was. He barely managed to get a word out, "W-where…"

"Nakari Hospital." She walked over to him. "Can you tell me your name?"

He still struggled but he could answer the question. "A-A… Ash… Ash Ketchum…"

"Where are you from?"

"Pallet… Pallet Town."

"Do you remember how you got here?"

Ash groaned. "Avalanche… fell from… from…"

"That's good, that's good." The nurse patted his left hand. "I just wanted to make sure that you didn't have any memory loss or brain damage."

Misty started to stir. She looked up at the nurse.

"Good morning, Misty."

"Morning."

"You're not the only one who's awake."

"Hmm?"

Slowly but surely, Ash turned his head and looked at Misty.

She gasped. "Ash?"

Even though it brought him physical pain, nothing felt better for Ash than putting on one of his classic smiles for Misty. "Hey, Misty."

Misty quickly got up, putting Pikachu on the chair, and ran to Ash. "Ash! Ash!" She hugged him across the shoulders, being careful of his ribs, as tears fell.

In another feat that surprised the nurse, Ash raised his left arm and hugged Misty back. Misty almost wept with joy when she felt Ash's arm around her. Ash could feel her tears start to fall on him.

"Misty?" Ash asked. "Why are you crying?"

Misty gasped. She smiled. "Because I'm happy, jerk. You scared me."

"I did?"

"Well, yeah. I mean…" She pulled back from the hug and stared into his eyes. "I… was so worried about you."

There was a look in Misty's eyes that Ash had never seen before. Even though he couldn't move much, the look in her eyes made it impossible for him to tear his eyes away. He couldn't identify. He'd never seen it in anyone before. But he couldn't look away. It was one of the most beautiful things he'd ever seen.

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><p>WHOO! What a relief! Ash is alright! Well, if you count a broken leg, a fractured arm, and damaged ribs as okay. But considering the alternative, I do, yeah. But, uh... what's up with him and Misty? Is there something going on there? Huh... LOL! If anyone has read my other stories, you kinda had to know that I was gonna go down that road. But don't worry, it won't be as easy as that. This is still Ash we're dealing with after all. Anyway, comments and thoughts, please. And for those of you who can't wait a week for the next chapter... you won't have to. ;)<p> 


	6. Recovery

See? Told you didn't have to wait! :) For those of you who missed it, I've been MIA for a little bit so I'm releasing Chapter 6 right along with Chapter 5 (Go back and read Chapter 5 if haven't done so). Releasing this one so soon is my apology for making you guys wait. Sorry about that. Anyway, on to the story.

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><p><strong>Chapter 6: Recovery<strong>

Misty had spent most of the time hugging Ash. She just didn't want to let him go and Ash was far beyond even thinking about asking her or wanting her to. She kept her hold on him until Pikachu started to wake up.

"Pika?" Pikachu moaned as he woke up.

Ash and Misty looked at him and Ash smiled, "Hey, buddy."

"PIKA PIKA!" Pikachu moved like he was using Agility to get to Ash. He ran next to Ash and nuzzled next to him, opposite where Misty was. He started cooing.

Ash petted him with his left. "I missed you, too, pal." He looked at Misty. "How long have I been out?"

"About two days since we found you." She sighed. "We're really wondering if we got to you too late."

"Glad you guys found me."

Misty just stared at him for a second. She answered but her voice was a little caught coming out, "Me, too."

Ash's doctor came in shortly after. He had his hands in his pockets and was wearing a smile. "I was surprised when the nurse told me you were awake already. You recover quickly."

Ash smiled. "I don't like laying around doing nothing."

The doctor nodded, "I understand that. But… you may not have a choice for a while."

"Figured that."

The doctor then turned serious. "Mister Ketchum, you're a very lucky man."

Ash just smiled. "Yeah. I hear that a lot."

"No, I mean really lucky. With those injuries, especially that leg, I don't know how you made it as far down the mountain as you did. Anyone else wouldn't have made it. Quite frankly, if it wasn't for your friends, you wouldn't have."

Misty had to keep from crying again as did Pikachu.

The doctor smiled. "You're either very tough or very stubborn."

Ash motioned toward Misty, "She'd tell ya both."

Misty forced back her tears and put on the toughness she was known for. "I would not!"

Ash looked at her. "Really?"

"No." She smiled. "I'd say an unhealthy mixture of the two."

Pikachu nodded, "Pikachu."

Ash rolled his eyes and slowly shook his head.

The doctor laughed. "Well, either way, you're going to be out of commission for a while. Your leg is severely broken. That must have been some landing you took."

"That and the three Piloswines I had to out run."

"Ah. That explains a lot actually."

Misty looked at him. "Piloswines?"

"Pika?" Pikachu asked.

Ash smirked. "Yeah. Just my luck, huh?"

Misty couldn't believe it. Piloswines on top of everything else? And he's still alive? "Wait. How'd you out run Piloswines on a broken leg?"

"How should I know? I was in bad enough. Next thing I know they came charging at me so I high tailed it outta there." Ash sighed. "Don't know how I did it either."

"Adrenaline," the doctor said. "With a touch of fear, I'm sure, but definitely adrenaline. It's almost an untapped human power, if you will. There was a case I read about where a mother lifted an entire car because her son was trapped was underneath. It's a simple matter of you never know what you're capable of until you have no other choice."

Ash tried to chuckle but it sounded more like a grunt. "Ain't that the truth."

Later that day, Brock, Gary, and Magnus all went to Ash's room. They were thrilled to see him awake, even if he wasn't moving much. Once they came into the room, they were overjoyed that he was awake but they all still had looks of sorrow on their faces. He was still hurt after all.

Ash saw their faces and smiled. "Hey. All of you guys can stop looking so worried now."

They're expressions didn't really change.

"Come on, come on. Stop with the looks. Makes me think I'm gonna die."

Magnus shrugged. "Okay. Then I'll yell at ya." He pushed past the boys. His expression went from sorrow to anger. "What in the world is wrong wit' ya?"

Ash would've laughed. "Nice to see you, too."

"Don't gimme dat, kid! How stupid are ya ta go jumpin' outta helicopters?"

Ash groaned as he straightened up a bit. He could barely talk above his normal tone. It was as close as he could come to shouting. "Okay, first off, the first time I jumped, it was off a ladder like two feet from the snow. The second time wasn't a jump. The stupid ladder broke. Completely not my fault."

Magnus gruffed. "Ya still run headfirst inta trouble."

Ash did his best to shrug. He smirked, "I gotta be me."

Everyone laughed. It was a classic Ash move. And his response was classic with a hint of pain and fatigue. He was just fine.

Brock walked up to him. "You alright, man?"

Ash just stared at him. "Bro… I have a broken leg and, at some point, I broke my arm, too. I have like three bruised ribs and I basically almost had to have different parts body cut off from frostbite. Let me put it this way…"

Everyone was waiting for him to continue.

He gave the slightest shrug. "I've felt worse."

Everyone laughed. Ash couldn't but he did smile.

"It's a lucky for me all of you found me."

"Actually, it was Charizard," Brock said.

Ash blinked rapidly a few times. "Charizard?"

"Yeah. I called the Valley and told him you were missing. He got here in one night. We were about to stop searching when he spotted you."

Ash scoffed. "No way. Go figure. He never has let me down."

"Pikachu," Pikachu agreed.

Gary, who had remained pretty quiet until now, had to ask Ash a question that had been eating at him the day Ash saved him. "Ash, how did you know I hated skiing?"

Ash tried adjusting himself on the bed. He was only semi-successful. "You told me. It's one reason that I was surprised you were even here. You know, besides the wedding coming up and all."

Gary thought back. "I must've told you that forever ago."

"Yeah. So?"

Gary was in shock. "Dude… you remembered that…?"

"Oh, come on, Gary. Please, don't you start."

"I'm just saying…"

"It's not that big a deal, man. Besides, my whole purpose in life for a while was focusing on beating you. Why wouldn't I remember details I could use to my advantage?"

Gary laughed. "How the heck could me hating skiing be used to your advantage?"

Ash stammered over his words a little. "I… uh, was kinda going to make bet with you… and if you lost… I was, um… going… to make you… ski."

Gary just stared at him in disbelief for a few seconds. "What the heck kinda bet is that?"

"I, um… just wanted to see a look of panic on you… and maybe see you… upset?"

"You mean scared."

"If that's the word you wanna use."

Gary folded his arms. "Why did I want to rescue you again?"

Ash smiled. "Because your life is meaningless without me!"

"Oh? Is that so?" Gary walked over to the IV machine, which was on Ash's left side. "Really?" He put his finger on the tube going to Ash's arm. "Let's test that theory!"

He playfully started messing with the tube while Ash tried to wave him off with his good hand.

"C-C'mon, Gary!" Ash pleaded. "Can't ya take a joke?"

Everyone laughed.

That evening, everyone else had gone, even Pikachu, while Misty sat in the room with Ash. He had been fading in and out of consciousness for the past few hours and the others decided to let him rest. Misty, of course, opted to stay since she was already used to sleeping in the room and she would be the best to keep the others up-to-date if anything happened.

Ash woke up from one of his forced naps and looked over at Misty, who was watching the sun go down. "Nice view?"

"This whole place is full of nice views."

"You know don't have to stay, Misty. I'm fine. I know you probably haven't eaten in a while. Or slept in an actual bed."

She straightened up. "I'm fine. These chairs are actually very comfortable. And I have to been eating. They have food here."

"I meant actual non-hospital food."

"Don't be ridiculous. You haven't tried anything here."

"Still…"

"I'm not leaving, Ash."

He was surprised by her tone. It was very serious. Ash worried he had offended her. "Hey, I'm sorry. I'm not trying to be mean or anything…"

"I know."

"But you don't have to just sit there and watch me lay here either."

Misty took a second to come up with a response. She shrugged. "At least, if I'm looking at you, I know you're okay and… and I'll be here in case you're not."

Ash stared at her. Her body language and the change in her voice told him almost all he needed to know. "Wow. You were really worried, weren't you?"

She nodded. "Yeah… I mean… you saved my life… and Brock's… and Gary's… and then… then you almost…" She started to cry again. "…you almost…"

The last thing Ash wanted was Misty to cry. "Hey. Hey." He waved her over, "Come here."

She walked over to the bed, tears still coming down from her eyes. She on the bed at his left side.

He placed his hand on top of hers. "Don't do this to yourself. Even if I'd…" He stopped himself, looking for a better choice of words. "…if something had happened to me, it wouldn't be your fault or anybody else's." He shrugged, "Well, okay, except for whoever made that stupid ladder."

She laughed. She actually laughed. She was two seconds from crying over the same person who just made her laugh. Ash always did have the ability, though; to make Misty feel better no matter what.

"I wanted to do it. I wanted to help you guys. That's all that mattered to me. So, don't worry. It's okay." He stared at her for a second. "Alright?"

She nodded, "Alright."

Ash kept staring at her. She was wearing her hair down and, to him, not one strand was out of place. Those green eyes. Those eyes could keep him going no matter what was going on. And that face that, as earlier this very morning, Ash couldn't tear himself away from or think of anything more beautiful. Not even Mt. Nakari's sunsets.

There was a knock at the door.

"Come on in," Misty allowed. Ash kind of wished that she hadn't.

The door opened and Magnus walked in. "Hey, kid."

"Hey," Ash greeted.

"Ya sleep too much."

"Says the pot to the kettle."

The veteran Pokémon trainer chuckled. "How ya feelin'?"

Ash gave another slight shrug. "About the same."

Magnus nodded. He looked at Misty, "Can we have a minute?"

Misty nodded, "Sure." She looked back at Ash, "I'll go let the nurse's know you're hungry."

"Thanks, Misty."

She smiled and walked out of the room.

Magnus waited until the door was closed and she was completely gone. "Wow."

"What?" Ash asked.

The elder trainer scoffed. "'What'. Don't 'what' me, kid. You and her."

"What about me and her?"

Magnus pulled up a chair. He figured this was going to take a while. "Kid… you're one of the brightest kids I've eva met. You're smart, ya learn quick, and ya got a good heart."

"So?"

"So… so…" Magnus thought about how to approach this. He looked at his former protégé and knew that some things would take a good explanation for Ash to get the point. His explanation though would come with a piece of him that he was keeping under wraps. Interesting part was, there was no one he trusted more than Ash so he decided what the hey. He took a deep breath. "So, here's the thing: I told ya that I was here to get away, right?"

Ash nodded.

"But… that wasn't tha real reason. Well… not tha whole reason, anyway."

Ash looked a little confused. "Okay, so what is?"

Magnus sighed. "I met my wife, Linda, here… 30 years ago."

Ash blinked in surprise. "Wow."

"And we got engaged here."

Ash was in shock. "Whoa…"

Magnus took a few deep breaths then rubbed his face. It was the close that Ash had ever seen Magnus come to crying. The purple haired trainer started staring into space as he reminisced. "She died just ova a year ago. This was our last vacation."

Ash had no idea that Magnus was holding in this kind of pain. He never even suspected that this tough old man even had any pain. "Magnus… I'm sorry."

Magnus waved his hand, "Ah, it's alright. Believe it or not, when you came around, ya were a great distraction." He chuckled. "Thanks."

Ash still couldn't laugh but he smiled. "No problem."

He chuckled again but turned somber. "Came back to relieve tha memory. Rememba happier times. Get a good look at Nakari, ya know?"

Ash nodded. "I hear ya." He couldn't imagine how much pain the man he considered his teacher was in. To lose a wife must not be an easy thing, Ash thought. Another thought couldn't leave his mind though. "So… and not to be mean or anything, but what's all that got to do with me and Misty?"

Magnus scoffed. "Are ya that dim witted? I'm gonna take back what I said about ya bein' smart."

Ash smiled.

"Lemme put this-a way: when I was younger, I was a lot like ya. Had the dreams and everything. Now, I think ya got more potential to make it than I ever had but that's not the point. But, the thing is… no one eva said ya only had to have one dream. And no one eva said havin' a dream doesn't mean ya can't get the girl, too."

Ash was going to protest at that point.

But Magnus headed him off. "Don't try to get around it, kid. Anyway, the way you're tryin' fake hide how ya feel for Misty… I did that with Linda. I almost lost her to this real jerk. But… luck… or fate… whateva, was on my side and I didn't. I think the same thing is on your side."

Ash was listening. Just not so sure if Magnus was right.

"Just don't waste a chance that ya got, is what I'm sayin'. Special things tend ta happen around here. Did for me. The mountain here, kid… me and my wife… we always thought it had a spell all on its own. A certain… what was the word she used ta use? Mysticism. Ya just gotta let it."

Ash looked down in his lap. Even he could figure out why this pertained to him and Misty at this point. Ash just wasn't sure that he had it in him to do anything about it.

"Ash…"

He looked back up.

"…you're a good guy. I wouldn't waste time tellin' all this if ya weren't. Don't let yaself miss an opportunity that otha people search the entire world over for. Not when it's right here. Not when it's obvious ta everyone else how she feels about you."

Ash looked down. "I'm not so sure she does."

Magnus figured it would take some convincing. He, like everyone else, was well aware of Ash's stubborn streak. "Do me a favor."

Ash looked at him.

"Talk ta her. Ask her. Ask her how she feels. And… if I'm wrong… I'll buy ya anything ya ask for. A car, a Pokémon, heck, even a plane! But talk ta her."

Ash thought about it. Talking to Misty about whether or not they should be… together. The more Ash thought about it, the more he preferred to be on the mountain in the snow. Still, Magnus seemed as serious as he always did. But it didn't stop Ash from taking the bet seriously. "I want the plane."

Magnus laughed. "Bet."

Just then, the door opened. It was the nurse followed by Misty bringing in food. "Dinner time," the nurse said.

Magnus just chuckled. "Well, I'm outta here. Track down food that I actually want."

"Way to not sound like a jerk, Magnus," Ash joked.

Magnus shrugged, "Eh. I yam what I yam. See ya later, kiddo."

Ash waved and Magnus headed out.

After he left, Misty asked, "What was that all about?"

Ash, smiling, just slowly shook his head. "Just getting better acquainted."

As the nurses brought them food, Ash and Misty ate and talked with one another. All the while, Ash was wrestling with the thoughts that Magnus put into his head against the reservations he's always had. At this point, the reservations were winning.

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><p>Weeeeeellllll... Sorry, I used to listen to Tom Joiner a lot when I was younger. ...Most of you probably won't even get the reference. Anyway, moving on... so, Magnus can see how Ash feels about Misty and the older trainer says its a returned feeling. One must wonder if the feeling actually is mutual? Or is Magnus dead wrong on this one? I think many of know the answer to this one but I strongly URGE you (in other words, I'm begging) to wait for the next chapter. We're getting close to the end but there's some story left. Get ready! Reviews are encouraged! :) See ya next time!<p> 


	7. Admissions

Welcome back! Welcome back! It's time for Chapter 7! Hey! That's a lucky number. I honestly didn't plan that. It just came to me right now. So, let's recap: after being saved from the mountain, Ash is recovering in the hospital. Now, in the last chapter, he had a little talk with Magnus about two of our favorite trainers. What will happen next? I think you all know where this is going. Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter 7: Admissions<strong>

Ash and Misty ate and made small talk for a while but soon, Ash's weariness set in again and fell back asleep. Despite Ash's guilt, Misty really didn't mind staying in the room. Brock had dropped back by since he, Gary, and Magnus all ate and dropped Pikachu back off so he could stay with Ash, too. Misty and Pikachu were in their usual positions in the chairs in the hospital room. Pikachu was fast asleep while Misty did whatever she could to entertain herself when she wasn't sleepy. Usually, her pass time was watching the sunset or the night sky, which, surprising to her, was never boring. The sunsets of the mountain were second to none. She'd been gazing at them every chance she got. At night, all of the stars seemed so much brighter and closer here on the mountain than anywhere else. It was just as easy to stargaze here as it was to watch the sunsets. This time, though, she had just taken to watching TV with the volume turned way low while Ash slept, leaving the captions on so she could see what was going on and not disturb the recovering trainer.

It was just pass midnight when Ash blinked awake again and saw the TV was on. Aside from the lights of night coming into the room via the windows, the television was the only light illuminating the room as Misty had turned the lights off as to make sure nothing disturbed Ash from getting his rest. Misty was watching the late night news and, coincidentally or not depending on whose perspective, the current report was on Ash and how he helped in the rescue effort and how he, himself, had been rescued. The title of the news story running in a banner at the bottom of the screen was "Rescuing A Hero."

"Oh, come on…" Ash groaned, getting Misty's attention. "They did a news story about me?"

She looked over at him. "Why shouldn't they?"

"It wasn't that a big deal." He straightened up, a move that still required some effort. "I was only on the helicopter because I was worried about you guys. Next thing I know, I'm helping save everybody."

"And you don't think that deserves some kind of recognition?"

"Not really. Anyone else would've done the same thing."

Misty turned the TV off and fully turned to face Ash. "No, Ash. Not just anyone would've done what you did. Very few people… would've done what you did. That took courage. Lots of it."

Ash smiled. "Well, maybe."

"No maybe to it. The pilot told us how insistent you were on going with them. How you didn't start off with your name and credentials to get aboard. How you just wanted to help us." She leaned her chin on her hand. "And me and Brock both saw how determined you are when you wanted to save Gary."

"Just wanted to save him."

"My point exactly." She stood up and walked over by his bed. "Not everyone just jumps on to a helicopter because his best friends and rival are trapped in an avalanche. There are husbands who wouldn't do that for wives. There are even parents that wouldn't do that for their children."

"Alright, ya got me there. But I don't want to be viewed as some hero, Mist."

"Why not?"

"I went there to save my friends. That was just me being selfish and stubborn. I helped everybody else because they were there, not because I went there to help them. I just don't want it to look like I did something I really didn't do. …or was trying to do. Whichever."

"Heroes don't do things for recognition, Ash." She walked over to his left side. "You saying all that proves it."

Ash just smiled.

"There's more than that, you know."

"Like?"

"Like…" She looked at the condition his body was in. "Like after." She very gently touched the cast on his leg. "You never gave up." She moved up to the cast on his arm. "Not once." She lightly touched his side, where his ribs were bruised. "Despite everything."

Ash couldn't feel her hand until she reached his side. It was a very warm, very gentle touch that Ash enjoyed more than he thought he would.

"You could've just let it all go. Stopped. Let all of the pain and sleep just take you down."

"I kinda did. I passed out after all."

"Not before you go so far down the mountain that we actually had to really search for you before we found you. Luckily for us, Charizard saw you. You were so far from where the snow hit you, we thought you were still buried underneath. But you weren't… you just… kept going."

Ash sighed. He remembered how he felt after he escaped the Piloswines. He'd never felt so physically weak in his entire life. "I was just so tired. I was in a lot of pain."

"And you never gave up."

He smirked. "I don't think I ever learned how."

Misty gave a light smile. "And that has always been one of your best qualities. One of the things I've always liked, respected, and admired about you. You have never given up, surrendered, or just let things go. You fight back. You've always fought back. You've been a fighter since the day we met. You've never looked at a challenge and back down…" Her voice got quieter as she stared into Ash's eyes. "You've… never given up on friends."

"I only don't give up on the people who never gave up on me."

"That's because the ones who know you know that you are never worth giving up on. You're always the one I'll always place my bets on."

He scoffed. "Even when I lose?"

"You never lose, Ash."

Ash actually managed a chuckle. "Did you not see the Hoenn finals?"

"I saw. Doesn't change my answer."

"Why?" Ash couldn't help but ask.

"Because you don't let those losses stop you. You learn from them. You let them build you up. You're not like anybody else in that way either. You may not win a battle here and there but you never really lose. You're down for a second, sure. Who doesn't get down when they lose? But you get back up. You keep going. And you never… ever stop trying. If anything, you just try harder. And that's the difference."

Misty's words made Ash feel better to no end. He knew Misty thought highly of him but Ash never realized she thought this much of him. Any compliment Misty gave him was one he took to heart. These words he would never forget. He smiled. "You always know what to say."

She sat down. "So do you."

They stared at each other for a long time. It was one of the longest talks they'd ever had, one of the few they'd ever had just with each other without Brock or Pikachu being involved, and probably their most sincere heart to heart.

Similar to how he did earlier, Ash reached for Misty's hand. She let him take hold of it. "For… for what it's worth… I'm really glad that you're still here."

"Me, too." She took a firm grip of his hand. She then slowly interlocked her fingers with his, a movement that surprised Ash. She stared into his eyes with a look similar to the one she gave him this morning. Except something else was there. Ash could clearly see it.

Something that made his heart skip a beat. "Misty?"

She didn't say anything. She just kept staring.

Misty had had plenty of time to think how she felt about Ash and she had always considered him a good friend. In fact, she always recognized him as her best friend. Most recently, even before seeing him at the Nakari Resort entrance just days ago, she started thinking about him in a more serious and defined way.

It started when she saw him on television in the Hoenn league battle. Despite not having seen him in person in a couple of years, she was amazed at how Ash had grown and not just physically. The determination and fearlessness he always displayed never left him but had matured with him. She remembered how, after the battle, Ash shook his opponent Roderick's hand in a genuinely honorable fashion and with a classic Ash smile. Misty had seen more than her share trainers do the handshake to show they were a good sport without actually meaning it. But Ash wasn't like any of them; he is a good sport, he is honorable, and he meant that handshake.

And, as far as being a good friend, Misty could honestly say that she never had a friend as good as Ash. Not before or since they met. Not even Brock. Misty wasn't being mean or ungrateful when she thought that; she was just being truthful. She could forever list the things that would give Ash that title but she needed no further proof than, when after the avalanche and she was unconscious, the first thing she looked up and saw was Ash standing over her, frantically trying to save her.

Her best friend was doing everything he could to save her. He saved Brock. He saved Gary. He helped save probably dozens of people. He stayed alive against all odds.

Ash was different yet the same. The same person and great friend he'd always been just stronger, better, and more improved in every way. He was, in her mind, amazing. And she was going to let him know it… the only way she wanted to. After all, she'd almost lost him. She wasn't going to let that happen again. She wasn't going to keep how she felt about to herself anymore.

She slowly leaned in. Then she kissed him.

Ash was shocked at first. His eyes wide with surprise. Once he realized what was happening, it suddenly made all the pain he suffered during his experience on the mountain vanish. He couldn't move further to kiss her back, no matter how much he wanted to nor could put his arms around her like he wished he could at this point. He didn't have to, though. Misty pushed further, which Ash took as a good sign. She put her hand behind his neck, which he took as the perfect sign. Though he couldn't move much, he did manage to get his hand up to gently touch her arm. Until then, it never dawned on him how soft her skin was.

Misty stopped the kiss and pulled back. The look in her eyes never left. If anything, it had grown.

"Ash…" she whispered. "I love you."

Ash couldn't believe what he'd just heard. It was like falling from the helicopter all over again. Time seemed to slow and move fast at the exact same time. "Misty…"

For Ash, the possibility of him and Misty always seemed like a dream but even harder to attain than his dream of being Pokémon master. Misty was always the most amazing girl he'd ever met: a gym leader, a headstrong person, she could take care of herself, and, hands down, one of the strongest people he knew. Ash knew that Misty never needed him to be her protector but, if she ever did need him for anything, he would always be there. He always wanted to be there for her. No matter what.

The other hang up for Ash was, and this shocked even him when he realized it, he was afraid. Afraid to say anything to Misty about even liking her. He didn't want to ruin their friendship or risk having her reject him. He heard a rumor, months back, that she was dating some guy and he almost fell into a depression, until Brock told him that it was all a lie. It was some guy who wanted to date her but Misty had shut him rather fiercely as the story went. That relieved Ash more than he thought it would and he's been wondering what to do about his feelings for the Cerulean City gym leader ever since. Soon, he stopped wondering about his feelings because those were all too clear to him but he was in constant of fear of telling her since he didn't know what hers were toward him.

But here she is. Right here with him. And she loves him. She said so.

She didn't say it because he's dying or because he said it first and she was just responding. There was no pressing situation, no fight, no danger. Just the two of them, alone. And she loves him. Without any provocation or circumstance, she loves him.

Ash was still having trouble believing it. He kept thinking that he must be back on the mountain and dreaming. Then he realized that wasn't the case: his dreams were never this good and they sure as heck never involved a kiss like the one he just experienced. Even the dream kisses, as nice as they were, paled in comparison to the real thing.

That's when Ash realized something. He just went through the roughest experience he's even been through and he made it out. He suffered a broken leg, fractured arm, and bruised ribs that he received by falling from a helicopter and powered on through. He survived the aftershock of the avalanche and nearly sinking into the snow. He lasted through a freezing cold night. He even out ran a herd of Piloswines. On a broken leg, no less. What was there left to be afraid of? And why should be afraid? Why be afraid to tell the girl who loves you… that you love her back?

It would be stupid not to do it.

Magnus was right. There was no sense in not making the best of this situation. After all, this was the most perfect situation he could ask for, even with the pain and everything. Misty was here. And she loves him.

And Ash refused to let this go. He refused to let her go. Not when she was right here, right now.

"Misty…" Ash swallowed the last bit of fear he had left. It didn't belong here. Not in this moment. "I love you, too."

She smiled. It was one of the brightest smiles he'd ever seen and the most beautiful.

She quickly hugged him tight, reaching across his shoulders. Ash could feel her tears drop. She loosened up a bit but didn't let go. "I… hope I'm not hurting you."

Truth be told he didn't feel any pain anymore. He almost forgot that he was in a hospital. He put his good arm around her. "You could never hurt me, Misty. I can't tell how much better I always feel when you're around."

She squeezed harder. "I love you, Ash."

She could say that a million times, he'd never get sick of it. "I love you, too, Misty."

He could say it a million times, she'd always want to hear it.

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><p>YEAH! HOORAY! Yeah, I'm a romantic. What can I say? I'm a rare breed of guy indeed. But, hey! The story isn't over yet. But please, review! I love to hear from all of you. Thanks everyone!<p> 


	8. Departure

Here we go! Things are wrapping up! But wait! There's one more thing that has not been addressed... what will Ash's mother do when she finds out about her baby? *insert dramatic music* Haha, it won't be as bad as all that. So, give it a read. Thanks, everyone!

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><p><strong>Chapter 8: Departure<strong>

Pikachu woke up the following morning and looked around confused when he didn't see Misty. Pikachu glanced behind him to see Misty and his master fast asleep on Ash's hospital bed. The electric Pokémon stood and saw that they were holding hands. He smiled. Pikachu ran over and lightly climbed on to Ash' stomach.

"Chu…" Pikachu said quietly.

Ash slowly opened his eyes and focused on Pikachu. "Hey, buddy."

Pikachu looked at Misty then back at Ash. "Pika?"

Ash smiled and nodded. "Yeah. It's official, pal."

"Pika!" He cheered.

"Been waiting for me to say that?"

"Pika!" He nodded.

"He's not the only one," Misty said.

Ash looked over at her. "Hey. Good morning."

"Good morning."

Ash looked at her and, though he hated to ask, he did have a burning question. "Misty…"

"Of course I don't regret anything I said last night. I meant every word."

"Since when are you a mind reader?"

"Since I've always known you that well." She started to get up. "Sorry for taking over the bed."

"Don't be." He reached up and touched her cheek. "I slept just fine."

She smiled.

A knock came at the door and then it opened, Brock walking in. He saw his two best friends in a tender situation and nodded, "Mm-hmm."

"What?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, no what. Finally!" Brock put on the biggest smile. "It finally happened!" He let out a quick laugh. "Good grief! Took you long enough."

"Huh?"

"Ash, you've been crushing on Misty so long it was bordering on pathetic and sad."

Ash narrowed his eyes at Brock and his voice became dead pan. "Wow. Thanks, Brock."

"Just tellin' the truth."

"Pikachu," Pikachu nodded in agreement.

Ash looked at the yellow Pokémon, "Okay, whose side are you on?"

Pikachu pointed at Brock.

"Oh, gee, that-that's great. Thanks, pal."

"Pikachu!" He gave a thumbs-up.

Brock laughed. "It's been obvious to everyone but you, bro."

Ash shrugged. "Never said I didn't think about it."

Everyone stared at Ash with subtle looks of surprise on their faces.

"It ever dawn on you that I was afraid to even ask her out?"

Brock just stared at him. "You? Afraid?" Brock shook his head. With all the recent events, it was hard to imagine Ash felt fear much less… "You can even pronounce that word?"

"Ash…" Misty was in awe. "You… were afraid of talking to me about… you and me?"

Ash looked at her. "Well, yeah. I mean, I didn't want to damage our friendship or anything. You're one of the best friends I've ever had. And… I mean, come on. You're Misty… the most amazing, beautiful person I know. And I'm me. Need I say more?"

She smiled. "You think I'm amazing and beautiful?"

"Oh, good grief," Brock sighed.

Ash chuckled lightly. "To be honest, you… kinda intimidated me."

Now, this was a huge surprise. Misty never thought herself better than Ash. She never thought herself better than anybody, especially Ash. She leaned back down into one very good kiss, surprising Brock and Pikachu.

They came up for air and Misty's kept her hand on Ash's face. "I have never thought I was better than you, Ash. And the pure fact that you think so highly of me…" She felt a tear forming. "…makes me love even more."

Ash just smiled. He couldn't think of anything to say that would do Misty's words justice.

Brock then jumped in. "Hey, kinda in the same vein, there is one more thing I'm curious about."

Ash looked at Brock, as did Misty. "What's up?"

"Did any of what you just said have… like something to do with why you didn't tell us that Gary was getting married?"

Unsure of whether or not to answer, Ash looked at Pikachu. The electric Pokémon nodded, giving him the go-ahead, "Pika."

Ash looked back at Brock and shrugged again. "Guess I was a little jealous. It seemed like he was getting everything he ever tried to get and… I mean, he was kinda with Denise the way I feel about you Misty."

She smiled.

"And, well… I was like it worked out for him and I just thought it would never work for… well, anyway, I was jealous. Plus, I'm used to Gary being a jerk to me, not nice."

Brock laughed. "Fair enough."

Misty gently stroked Ash's hand. "Are you… still jealous of Gary?"

Ash looked at her and smiled. "Gary who?"

Brock groaned. "Can you two stop now?"

Ash was still staring at Misty. "Not if I can help it."

Misty smiled. "Me, either."

"ANYWAY!" Brock shouted. Though, truth be told, he really didn't want to break their moment.

The new couple laughed and looked at their friend.

Brock just folded his arms. "Wow. Oh, well. At least you guys are happy."

There was another knock at the door with Ash saying the person could come in. It was the doctor.

The physician saw Misty sitting on Ash's bed and raised an eyebrow. "Well, then…" He cleared his throat. "Mister Ketchum, I just wanted to let you know that after a few tests, we can clear you. You'll have to take it easy for the next six weeks at least and you may not get back to full walking strength in that leg for a couple of months after but… all things considered, you're still a very lucky man."

Ash grabbed Misty's hand. "Don't I know it?"

The doctor smiled. "I'll be back later to go over details with you but you'll be just fine." The doctor left.

Brock looked at Ash and scoffed. "Only you can have good things happen to after falling out of a helicopter and wandering a mountain on a broken leg for a day."

"Guess I'm just lucky," Ash said.

"You've always made your own luck," Misty pointed out.

Brock laughed. "Oh! I called your mom yesterday. She's on her way here."

Ash was surprised. "When's she coming?"

"Probably this afternoon."

"You tell her?"

"Well, duh."

"How'd she take it?"

Brock laughed. "Well…"

"Wait! Let me guess. She screamed and cried."

"Oh, yeah."

"Get mad at you for not calling sooner?"

Brock was surprised. "Yeah."

"Said I'd better be dead when she gets here because she's going to kill me?"

"How did you…"

"Then immediately turned around, got really nervous, and said she was on her way."

Brock just stared at him. "Wow. You're good."

"I just know my mom."

Later, Gary and Magnus walked in to see how their buddy was faring and they saw Misty was still sitting on Ash's bed, holding his hand.

"What the what?" Gary asked, shocked.

"HA!" Magnus shouted. He laughed in victory. "I knew it!"

Gary was still shocked. "Wow. I sure didn't."

Brock looked at Gary. "Come on. You're going to tell me that you never saw this coming?"

"I can honestly tell you that…" Gary started to think back of all times whenever he saw Ash and Misty together. "…well…" All the battles, the adventures, even when Ash and Misty were just around each other. Gary realized it: it was inevitable. "Okay, yeah, you're right."

Brock snickered.

Magnus laughed then joked, "And I don't have ta buy ya a plane!"

Misty looked at him confused. "A plane?"

"Let's just say both of you were obvious to me."

"Who weren't they obvious to?" Brock joked.

Gary raises his hand, "Me until just now."

By the afternoon, the doctor and various nurses all checked Ash's injuries and everything was they expected it to be. Magnus had left earlier as he was scheduled to leave tomorrow and he wanted to get some last minute sightseeing in. They were still not much better off than before but that was expected and Ash's improved mood did help things. After all the tests were done, the doctors left him with the others to decide where he would like to spend his recovery.

Misty, of course, had one suggestion. "There's always Cerulean."

Brock rolled his eyes. "Oh, like I didn't see that coming."

Ash laughed. "That is an idea."

"With your mom? Not likely."

"She's gonna find out sooner or later."

They all heard some kind of commotion out in the hallway, followed a frenzied woman's voice. "Where is he? Where's my son?"

Ash sighed. He knew it was his mom. "And I guess now would be that time."

The door flew open suddenly and there, with tears of worry and joy in her eyes, was auburn-haired mother of Ash, Delia Ketchum.

"Oh, Ash!" She dashed at him and hugged tightly. "My baby!"

Misty barely had time to get clear of Delia's charge before she latched on to her son. Her hug was like a vice across both arms and pressing his core. All of which hurt Ash greatly.

He silently stressed through pain as she crushed his ribs. "Umm… Mom?" Ash struggled to say. "This really hurts…"

Delia gasped. She quickly let go but was still clutching his shoulders. "Sorry… sorry, sorry." She looked him over and saw that he was smiling. "Well… you're in good spirits, at least… but that's nothing new."

"I'm fine, Mom."

"I'll be the judge of that." She looked at everyone else in the room. "Oh! Hello, everyone!"

They all greeted her and it wasn't until Misty waved that Delia took notice of her close proximity to Ash. Not that the two of them being close was unusual but they were unusually close.

Seeing his mother's reaction made Ash smirk. He decided to go ahead and lay all cards on the table now. "Mom, you remember Misty… my girlfriend."

"Of course, I remember Misty your… girlfriend?" Delia looked at Misty, who nodded to confirm, then back at Ash. She exhaled, "Well… it's about time! It certainly took you long enough. I was beginning to think you'd never get together."

Ash looked in shock. "Say what?"

"Ash, I'm your mother. Name one thing about yourself you can hide from me." She stopped. "Okay, you're older now so you probably hide a lot but you do where you feelings out on your sleeve. So, when you feel strongly about something… or in this case…" She looked at Misty with a smile. "…someone…" She looked back Ash, "…name something you can hide from me. And on that list, believe me, how you feel about Misty was never one of them."

Misty giggled while Ash turned red.

"And, for the record, I'm glad it's Misty. Not some random girl who just happened to meet on the road."

Ash glared at his mother. "Mom… that's how I met Misty."

"No, technically, you stole her bicycle and destroyed it. You didn't meet her until later. So, technically, I'm right."

Everyone laughed as Ash just hit his forehead with his good hand. His mom had the annoying habit of being technically right.

Magnus walked back in. "Hey, I heard all y'all laughing and…" He looked at Delia. "Hel-lo!"

"Hi." Delia stuck her hand out. "I'm Ash's mother. My name's Delia."

Magnus shook her hand. He was still staring at her, intently.

"And you are…"

"…so very glad ta meet ya."

Ash saw the look in Magnus's eyes and groaned, "Oh, no."

Later, the doctor talked with everyone and they confirmed that Ash would be going back to Pallet to recover. The rest of the day was spent with everyone talking and conversing. Ash then remembered that he hadn't seen Charizard yet. They got a wheel chair for the injured trainer and Ash, with Pikachu in tow, wheeled himself outside. Everyone figured that he should go thank the one Pokémon who saved him alone.

Once they were outside, Charizard saw Ash and bellowed with happiness. He hugged Ash, picking up the entire wheelchair and Pikachu, roaring with cheer all the while.

Ash laughed. "Hey, buddy! I'm…" He chuckled. "I'm really glad to see you, too!"

"Pikachu!"

Charizard put Ash down gently.

"He never has let us down, huh, Pikachu."

"Pika!"

Ash petted his dragon Pokémon's snout. "Everyone told me that, without you, I'd've still been out there. I'd be a goner if you hadn't found me. You saved my life, Charizard. I owe you big time for this one, pal. Thanks."

Charizard just nuzzled his master and friend, growling in a low and happy tone all the while.

Everyone started to leave the next day. Magnus left by train, going home. He had already promised Gary that he would be in Pallet in a few months. Gary was very persistent in that request. Though, the thought and promise of seeing Delia again was another incentive. Brock joked about Ash having to call Magnus dad in the future. Ash replied by saying he'd punch him if he could. The group all waited at the airport in nearby town for the plane to board so they could depart. Brock and Misty decided to accompany the Pallet natives back to their hometown.

As everyone was waiting for the plane inside the terminal, Ash and Pikachu were outside with Charizard, who was debating whether or not to go back to the Valley.

"Of course you should go back, pal," Ash said to him. "Apparently, Liza's got great training going on there." He smiled. "Saved my life."

"Pika!"

Charizard seemed to almost cry.

"Don't start, Charizard." Ash patted his Pokémon friend. "We'll see each other soon. I know Gary invited you to the wedding after all."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu said with glee.

Charizard smiled. He then leaned down and hugged Ash.

The master hugged his Pokémon back. "Thanks, again, buddy. I wouldn't have made it without you."

Charizard in a low tone.

They released the hug.

"Have a safe flight back," Ash smiled.

Charizard roared. He then gave Ash the customary Flamethrower to the face. Ash and Pikachu, who was slightly singed, just laughed. The Fire Pokémon then spread his wings and took off for the sky. Ash and Pikachu waved at him as Charizard flew into the sky.

Later, they all boarded the plane and it took off for the sky. Once they were high enough in the sky, Ash, who had the window seat, looked back at the mountain that he just had quite the adventure on and made more than a few memories. The Pallet native felt proud of himself for making it out alive and felt very grateful. Where as he and Pikachu started off this trip alone and with no one else, they were leaving with friends, best friends, and family. As Ash looked down at the mountain, he suddenly felt someone take hold of his left hand. He looked and saw Misty wearing one of those beautiful smiles. Ash couldn't help but smile back. As the plane climbed higher, Ash took one last look at Mt. Nakari where so many experiences were had and some very fond memories were created, with the fondest one… holding his hand right now.

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><p>All's well that end's well. ...But its not over yet. Not yet. I have a little caveat for you guys. And because of all the support, I am NOT going to make you guys wait. Check right back here. The reason I'm doing this, and this is the honest truth, you guys have been such a blessing on my life and all that you have done and I want to thank you all so very much. So, stay tuned and those reviews are great! Thanks!<p> 


	9. Epilogue

No more words, no more intros. Enjoy. :)

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><p><strong>Epilogue<strong>

Six months later. Pallet Town. Prof. Oak's House. The reception for Gary and Denise's wedding. Ash and Misty were sitting at their designated table. Ash was holding his cane, hoping that it wouldn't be long until he didn't need it anymore and he could get back on the road. His arm and ribs had already completely healed. The doctors in Pallet had told him that his leg would take more time than originally thought to heal completely but he was well on his way back to full strength. In fact, he was nearly there and he could walk just fine without aid. The cane was just a precaution.

Of course, that didn't stop Ash from complaining about it. He groaned as he looked at the cane. "I don't need this thing."

"Pika!" Pikachu scolded him.

"I don't."

"Oh, come on, baby," Misty pleaded. "It's only for a couple more weeks."

"It better be. I'm getting sick of using this."

The trio then looked around the yard at the reception party. They were in the backyard of Prof. Oak's lab. The professor had a hardwood floor built on the ground for dancing and various other activities. Gary and Denise were the picture perfect bride and groom. Their wedding and everything was so spot on, it looked like they could've been a commercial for weddings. In their own ways, both Ash and Misty, individually, thought they were a great framework for future endeavors between the two of them. It also made Ash smile about a surprise he was hiding in his pocket.

Ash and Misty looked around to see who else was present. Brock was there and he brought a date, none other than the Pike Queen Lucy. Charizard was with the rest of Ash's Pokémon, who were all out in the field eating. Magnus was also there, talking to Delia, sitting beside her at their table. Both of them, apparently, very comfortable with each other.

Seeing Delia and Magnus made Misty giggle.

…And Ash groan. "Somebody… please, make it stop."

"Awww. I think they look cute."

"I think I'd rather be back of the mountain with the broken leg." He groaned again and hung his head. "Why me?"

She kissed him in the cheek, causing him to look up. "Don't worry about them." She stood up. "Think you can dance?"

"I can stand on both legs and walk. I can even run." He chuckled, "But you know I can't dance."

She giggled. "Don't worry. I'll show you how… and I'll support you… in case you lose your footing."

Ash smiled. "I love it when you support me."

They both got up and walked to the dance floor. It was a slow dance and absolutely perfect for the both of them. It was the first time they had danced as a couple. It also probably the most movement Ash had put on his right leg since the fall. As they danced, Misty's eyes never left Ash's. She was impressed at how he was moving, not only because he had seemingly full strength back in his leg but he was dancing very well. Still, while she noticed Ash's strength and technique, it was his eyes that had her captivated.

"What are you thinking about?" Ash asked her.

"How glad I am that I'm here with you. How glad I am that you're okay. How glad I am that I can call you my boyfriend. How much this moment is absolutely amazing."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I can't imagine a more perfect moment."

Ash smirked. "Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah."

He gave a full smile. He stopped her mid-dance. "Are you absolutely sure?" Still holding her left hand with his now-fully healed right, he slowly got down on one knee.

Misty gasped and froze in place. It was as though she forgot how to blink or speak.

"Because… I can think of a way."

He revealed a small, dark blue, velvet box from his pocket. Misty just couldn't speak or respond.

"I think this moment… could be better… this way."

With one hand, he opened the box and there was a beautiful diamond ring within it. He never let go of Misty's hand.

"Ash…" she breathed out.

At this point, all other activity at the entire reception had stopped and all were focused on the couple. Tears and smiles were forming just as they did just hours ago at the wedding itself.

Ash took a deep breath. "Misty… it took me forever to realize how I feel about you and it took an avalanche and near death-experience to bring us together. I don't know what else it would take us further but I don't want to wait. So… please… please say you'll marry me."

Misty tried not to cry but couldn't help it. She started nodding her head emphatically. "Yes… yes… YES!" She kneeled down and kissed him with all of the strength she had. Tears were still falling from her eyes.

There wasn't one person or Pokémon not clapping and/or crying. Pikachu definitely had tears, seeing his master finally get the girl of his dreams. Despite the tears flowing down her face, Delia was doing everything she could from just full out crying. Magnus put his arm around and Delia leaned into him. Brock was beaming from ear to ear, making a victory fist at the engagement.

Misty moved to hugging him, stopping the kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and resting her head on his shoulder.

Ash put his arms around her waist and squeezed her tight. He was breathing a sigh of relief and few tears were falling from his eyes. He stood up, still holding on to Misty. They were both hugging each other like they were both about to run away. They released the hug and Ash took the ring out of the box and slipped it on to her ring finger.

Misty just stared at it. It just took her breath away. Not so much the ring but what it meant. It meant that Ash wanted to be with her forever. It showed that he loved her and was willing to go the extra step to prove it.

"So, what do you think?" Ash asked.

"I love it." She looked back at him. "I love you."

He smiled followed by kissing her.

Misty embraced him again. It was as if they were the only two in Pallet right now. Nothing else mattered to her but the moment she was in the man she was in love with. Ash just held her, tears coming from his eyes.

Ash tried to remember how he felt so alone before he went to Mt. Nakari but he almost couldn't. Whether it was Magnus's words about the mountain's mystique, the friendship and respect between him and Gary, realizing that he had so many friends, or the fact that Misty had agreed to make him the happiest man on the planet, Ash didn't care. All that mattered was right here, right now.

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><p>And... there it is. As we come to the end of this tale, I just want to reiterate what I said in the last chapter: I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart. All of you who took the time to read it and to all those who read it and reviewed it, you made these past few days a little more bearable. Thank you all so much. God bless. I'll see you guys soon.<p>

"Bang" - Spike Spiegel, _Cowboy Bebop_ & Tom, _Toonami_


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